Empty Rooms
by Leiria
Summary: She had their entire lives planned out. They had a plan. Goals. A house. So, who does she turn to for comfort when she walked into their empty room and found his goodbye on the mirror? This is a submission for Harmony Shippers' Breakup and Wake Up Fest. RW/HG, HP/HG, RW/LB, GW/CM (M for future content)
1. Chapter 1 - Gone

AN: This is a submission for Harmony Shippers' Break Up and Wake Up Fest. Please R&R.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter. Le sad.

* * *

Empty Rooms

Chapter One – Gone

The door slammed. Hermione looked up from her book and saw Ron yank his tie off his neck and toss it onto the table next to the door. He kicked off his shoes before he shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto the floor next to the coat rack. Hermione bit back a snide comment because he was clearly in a bad mood. Next, he unbuttoned his shirt and sat down on the sofa across from her.

"Bad day?" Hermione asked, placing her bookmark between the pages of the book she'd been reading before his arrival. She set the book on the table next to her chair, took a sip of her tea, and then turned her full attention to him.

"The worst," Ron grumbled.

"Tell me about it," she said, giving him her full attention.

Ron stared at her for a moment before he shook his head. He ran his hand through his short ginger hair. "Just the same stuff it always is," he explained. "I've got Price breathing down my neck, watching every tiny thing I do. Harry's the star of the department and can't do anything wrong. I only get noticed when someone assumes I've screwed up again. Honestly, I'm sick of it and I'm ready to just quit."

"But being an Auror is your dream job," Hermione argued. "It's what you've wanted to be for as long as I can remember."

"Yeah, because I met Harry and got sucked into the whole You Know Who drama," Ron bitterly spat. "You know what I wanted to do with my life before I met him?" Hermione shook her head. "Quidditch. I wanted to play for the Cannons. I would have, too, if he hadn't come along. Ruined my goddamn life."

"You don't mean that, Ronald," Hermione sighed. "Harry's our best friend. We owe him everything."

"No," Ron snapped. "No, I don't owe him a bloody thing. _He_ owes _me._ I saved his arse when he was drowning with the locket. I saved him when we were pawns in wizard chess. I tried to be the perfect best friend. I even gave him permission to date my little sister. I don't owe him anything."

Hermione sighed. "We've all saved each other," she said. "We've all been saved by each other. The checks and balances between the three of us are so back and forth that it's impossible to know anymore who owes whom. Harry isn't just the Boy Who Lived anymore. He's the man who defeated Voldemort." Ron flinched. "No matter what you do, no matter what _anyone_ does, he will always be better. You work in the same department. You will always be second when you're measured against him. If you want to get out of his shadow and stop being the hero's best friend, work in a different department or find a different job."

"I can't find a different job," Ron snapped. He gestured to the house they sat in. "I take a different job and how the bloody hell are we going to afford this place?" he demanded. "You don't make enough to cover what I might end up losing."

"We'd make it work, Ron," Hermione promised. "We can cut back some of our spending to pick up the slack of the house payment. It's doable. If you're this miserable as an Auror, find a new job. Just find a new job before you quit this one."

"Yeah, whatever," Ron muttered. He shook his head as he yawned. "What's for dinner?" he asked.

Hermione stared at him. "Did you forget?" she asked.

Ron stared at her blankly. "Forget what?"

She sighed. "We have dinner with your parents tonight. Everyone is going. It's your mother's birthday."

Ron closed his eyes and let out a breath filled with expletives. "You're telling me that I have to see him for dinner after being flattened by him at work?" he demanded. He shook his head. "No. I'm not going."

"It's _your_ family, Ron," Hermione argued. "Your mother told us about this weeks ago. It's the only thing she said she wanted for her birthday."

Ron groaned before he let out a loud "FUCK!" He shoved himself up off the couch and marched down the hallway to the bedroom. He slammed that door as well and Hermione assumed that he was getting changed for dinner.

When it took too long for him to return, Hermione stood up and walked down the hallway to see what the holdup was. She opened the bedroom door, expecting to find him sitting on the bed staring mindlessly at the wall. There was no one. The room was filled with belongings, but it was completely empty.

"Ron?" Hermione asked.

She noticed a piece of paper tucked into the frame of the mirror above their dresser. Hermione reached for it and unfolded it to find a letter.

_Hermione,_

_I'm sorry. I can't do this anymore. I need out. I'm suffocating._

_I hope you can forgive me._

_Tell my mum I'm sorry._

_Ron_

Hermione dropped to the floor, staring at the letter in shock. Her hand started to shake. She felt ill. Tears burned at her eyes and she let out a sob.

Sometime later, Hermione picked herself up off the floor. She straightened her clothes, washed her face, combed her hair, and went to the Burrow for dinner. She walked in through the front door and heard everyone gathered in the kitchen, so she made her way to the back of the house.

"…and everyone just—" Harry's sentence ended abruptly when he saw Hermione at the doorway.

"Just what?" Fleur asked before she looked at him. She saw the shock on his face and turned the other way to see Hermione.

Harry put down his glass of juice and rushed to her. He could see the redness in her eyes and puffiness in her face. He knew she was crying. He hugged her when he reached her without knowing what was wrong.

It was Hermione's undoing. She broke down in tears again and clung to Harry. When he asked her what was wrong, the only thing she could do was hold out the letter Ron had left behind.

Harry took the letter from her, read the words, then hugged her again.

"What is it?" Molly asked. "What's wrong? Did something happen to Ron?"

Harry looked at the Weasley matriarch and shook his head. "He left," he said. "He's gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" Molly asked. "He can't be _gone_." Harry handed her the letter. Molly scanned the words and stammered when she finished. She looked up at Harry. "Where would he go?" she whispered. She rushed to the clock to see where Ron could be. His hand pointed to LOST.

Molly looked at everyone before her gaze settled on Hermione. "What happened?" she asked.

Hermione shook her head. "He was upset when he got home," she said through her tears. "He went to change for dinner and then never came back. When I went to see what was taking so long, I found that letter."

Harry hugged her again. "I don't know what to do," she whispered.

"Shh," Harry replied. "It'll be okay. I promise."

She didn't believe him, but she didn't have the energy to argue with him either.

Later that night, Hermione sat on the sofa at Harry's house with a warm blanket wrapped around her. Harry handed her a mug of hot chocolate and sat down with her.

"You said Ron came home upset?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. "He was going on about living in your shadow and hating it. He said your boss was being unreasonably hard on him. He wanted to quit but knew we wouldn't be able to afford it if he did."

Harry sighed as he shook his head. "Merlin, Hermione, I wish I'd known something was wrong. I might have been able to talk some sense into him."

Hermione stared at her mug in her hands. "I'm going to lose my house," she whispered.

"What?" Harry demanded.

"I can't afford the payments on my own," she said as she met his eyes. "Even if I cut out every other luxury we have, my vault will be empty before the house is paid off. I'm going to have to move. I'll have to give the house back to the bank. I—" she cut herself off as she started to cry again. She blinked back her tears and looked up at the ceiling as if she could somehow hold them back. "God, Harry, I could kill him for leaving me," she whispered.

She felt his hand on hers and immediately leaned into him for comfort. Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her as she cried.

"Move in here," he said. "I've got an empty room. It's yours. Stay for as long as you like. Get your feet back under yourself. Don't worry about a thing."

Hermione pulled away and met his eyes. "You're sure?" she asked. "You won't mind?"

Harry shook his head. "Not at all," he said. "It's actually quite lonely around here, so I'd love the company. I can help you get everything you need. Whatever you don't want to bring here, we can put into storage."

Hermione nodded. "Okay," she whispered. "Thank you, Harry," she whispered. "I think I'll give it a few days. He might come back home once he's calmed down."

Harry smoothed Hermione's hair away from her face. "Whenever you need it, my door is open," he promised. "I'll see if I can find anything when I go to work tomorrow. I'll search his desk and everything. Maybe there'll be a clue as to where he's gone."

"Thank you."


	2. Chapter 2 - Truth

Empty Rooms

Chapter 2 – Truth

Harry immediately went to Ron's desk when he walked into the office the next morning. He hoped to see the ginger sitting there ready to work, but Ron's desk was just as empty that morning as it had been an hour before the end of their shift the day before. Harry forced himself to wait before ransacking it. He sat down at his own desk and tried to start working.

After an hour, he gave up. He walked back to their boss's office and knocked on the door.

"Enter!"

Harry opened the door and stepped into Price's office. She sat behind her desk with a report in her hand. Her square glasses sat at the tip of her nose and her brown hair had flecks of grey. She'd pulled it into a bun that sat at the base of her neck.

She looked at Harry as he walked in. "What is it, Potter?"

"I'd like permission to search Weasley's desk," he explained. "He disappeared yesterday and I'm hoping that there will be a clue as to where he's gone."

Price's eyes narrowed. "Disappeared?" she asked. "What do you mean?"

Harry cleared his throat. "He's my best mate from Hogwarts, as you know," he said. "He was dating and living with Hermione Granger, my other best friend. She said that he came home upset last night and then took off on her. He left behind a note saying that he, quote, 'can't do it anymore', and she hasn't been able to get in touch with him since. He's gone silent."

"And you think he might have left a clue behind?" Price asked.

Harry nodded. "No one does this kind of thing without thinking about it for a while first," he said. "Leaving the girl you're planning to marry, the house you spent years saving for, and the job you dreamed about for almost a decade requires more than a whim. Did he say anything about quitting yesterday?" he asked.

Price shook her head. "No," she replied. "I wondered why he wasn't in. We had a meeting scheduled for this morning. He knew that if he missed it, he'd be fired. Go ahead and pack up his desk. We'll send everything to his last known address and you can search for your clues."

Harry nodded. "Thank you," he said before he slipped back out of Price's office. He grabbed a box as he walked to Ron's desk. They had them all over the office for many reasons. He set the box on the floor, sat down in Ron's chair, and opened the first drawer.

He looked at every scrap of paper and scrawled note. Everything went into the box after Harry checked it to see if it was enchanted. There weren't many personal items in Ron's drawers. Most of what was there was standard issue for their work. He had left his gear behind. Most of them did.

It wasn't until Harry opened the last drawer that he saw anything suspicious. Inside the drawer, shoved to the back, was a steel box. Harry pulled the box out and noticed there was a lock keeping it closed. He couldn't remember ever seeing Ron do anything with the box. Harry supposed that Ron either waited until Harry wasn't paying attention or just until Harry was out of the room before he did anything with it.

He tapped the lock with his wand. "_Alohamora_," he said. The lock popped open and Harry set it aside. He opened the lid and saw dozens of folded pieces of parchment inside.

They were letters. Every single one of them. Harry pulled one out and opened it.

_Ron,_

_I'm so glad you got my letter! I loved seeing you last night and I can't wait until we can get together again. I know that you have your girlfriend, but I find that I just don't care. We've known each other since we started school at Hogwarts. You were my first kiss. My first love._

_I know I'm a werewolf now, but things are changing. The Ministry makes sure that all registered werewolves have access to the Wolfsbane Potion and everything else we need to make it through the full moon without hurting anyone. We're starting to have rights now, which means that soon the stigma will disappear._

_I hope that you're with me when that happens. I never wanted us to break up. I was so hopeful that we'd make it through Hogwarts together. I love you, Ronnikins. Whenever you decide to leave Hermione, I'll be waiting for you._

_Love,_

_Lavender_

Harry stared at the letter in shock before he picked up another one and read it.

_Ronnikins,_

_I wish that you could be here with me every day. The baby's kicking so much and I want you to be able to feel it. I want him to hear your voice and know you're his father. I'm so excited for us! I want to name him after my dad. I think he would like that._

_I'm going in for a checkup on Monday. You should come with me if you can._

_Oh, I hope you're here with me before he's born. I hope we're married before he's born, but if we're not, I'll be okay with you just being here with me. You're going to leave Hermione soon, right? Oh, please say you will. I love you so much, Ron. I just want you all to myself._

_Love,_

_Lavender_

Harry shoved the letters back into the box. At least now he knew where Ron had gone. At least, he assumed that Ron had gone to Lavender. He slammed the lid closed. Even if Ron hadn't gone to Lavender, Hermione deserved better than for him to cheat on her.

Harry shoved the steel box into the one with the rest of Ron's things and marched back to Price's office. He waited for her to tell him to enter before he opened the door. When he did, he looked directly at her. "I have to go," he said. "I found something and I need to go to Hermione about what I found."

"What did you find?" Price asked.

"Ron has another lover _and_ a son," Harry spat before he turned. He tried not to slam her door but was careless in his anger. He grabbed the box and Apparated to Hermione's house. He pounded on her door until she answered, looking bewildered.

"Harry?" she asked.

Harry pushed his way into the house. He pulled Ron's letters out of the box and held them out to her. "I think I know where Ron went," he said. "And I'm betting that he's been planning this for a while."

Hermione, stunned at Harry's anger, opened the steel box as she sat down on the couch. She pulled out the letter on top and whispered to herself as she read it. She stopped suddenly and looked at Harry with tears in her eyes. "Baby?" she whispered. "What?"

"Those are all letters from Lavender Brown to Ron," Harry said with venom dripping from his tone. "He's been cheating on you. He's been sleeping with Lavender for a while now. Months, at least. The cheating bastard probably went to her when he left you. Even if he does come back, Hermione, you shouldn't give him the fucking time of day."

"Harry, are you sure?" Hermione asked.

"He kept that box in the bottom drawer at the back," he said. "It was locked. I didn't even know he had it. I checked everything for magic, Hermione. Those letters are real and I could kill him if I ever see him again."

"Why…" Hermione whispered, looking at the collection of letters. She looked back up at Harry with tears glistening in her eyes. "Why would he do this to me?" she whispered.

Harry rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her as he took the box and put it on the table next to them. "You deserve so much better than him, Hermione," he whispered.

"What did I do?" Hermione sobbed. "What did I do to deserve this?"

Harry closed his eyes. The pain he heard in his voice made him want to cry for her. "It wasn't your fault, Hermione," he whispered. "You didn't do anything wrong. He's the one who was wrong. He's the one who should feel like this, not you," he continued.

Hermione clung to him, her sobs making Harry cry.

"Why?" Hermione cried, over and over. Harry had no answer for her. There was nothing he could say to take away the pain. The magic wand in his pocket would not make this better.

His heart broke for her. He kissed her forehead, dried her tears, and did his best to show her that he was going to be there for her, but she kept crying. Eventually, she fell asleep. Harry did his best to not wake her as he gathered her into his arms and carried her to her bedroom. He gently laid her down on her bed and covered her up with the throw blanket on the chair next to the window. He went back out into the living room and put the box back with Ron's other things from the Auror office. He'd take everything to the Burrow later when it was all packed up. If he had his way, he'd make sure that Hermione never had to face Ron again.

If he had his way, the next time Ron surfaced would be the last time any of them heard from him again.


	3. Chapter 3 - Soup

Empty Rooms

Chapter 3 – Soup

Hermione woke to the dim lighting of the sunset in her bedroom. She sat up slowly as she set the blanket covering her aside. She didn't remember lying down, but she did remember Harry arriving with the box of Ron's secrets.

She remembered Lavender's words scribbled across the page with hearts over her Is and large loopy letters. She couldn't understand how Ron could leave her for Lavender. She thought about their relationship. Hadn't she given him everything he wanted? Everything he'd asked for? They moved in together. They bought the house together. They were destined for marriage. She had their whole wedding planned out—all that she was waiting for was Ron to actually ask her to marry him.

That dream had died. It died the moment she saw the letter from Lavender. It died the moment she walked into an empty bedroom and saw a letter on the mirror. There was nothing left for her here in this house. She'd burn it all to the ground if she could get away with it.

She pushed herself up off the bed and shuffled out of the bedroom. When she entered the living room, she saw the light in the kitchen on. She followed the smell and sound of cooking food and found Harry standing at the stove.

He glanced up when she entered the kitchen. "Hey," he said. "I wasn't sure when the last time you ate anything was, so I thought I'd make you dinner," he said.

She gave him a smile. "Thank you, Harry," she softly replied. She walked up to him and he wrapped an arm around her as he stirred the soup on the stove. Hermione closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. The chicken broth was fragrant and gave her a feeling of calmness. It brought back memories of being sick as a child and her mother serving her chicken soup to make her feel better. It was her ultimate comfort food.

"You remembered," she said.

"Why wouldn't I?" Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged and stepped away from Harry. "Most people don't remember things like that for their friends," she said. "Ron certainly didn't remember that. Even if he did, he would never make it for me from scratch. He'd buy a can or order it to go."

Harry set the spoon he was using to stir the soup with down and turned to face Hermione. "Do you remember when you got sick while we were out hunting Horcruxes?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded. She'd gotten the flu shortly after Ron left and it forced them to stay in one place for longer than they'd wanted to. When Harry asked her if there was anything he could do to help her, the only thing she had wanted was chicken soup. Harry had gone out in the middle of the night to the local village and spent the last of their money getting the ingredients for her. He made her chicken soup in the middle of the night because it was the only thing she wanted. "Hermione, I'm never going to forget that this is the one thing that makes you feel better. Just like I know you're never going to forget certain things about me."

Hermione gave him a weak smile. "That's true," she agreed. She sighed before she grabbed a pair of bowls from the cupboard and set them down on the counter. While Harry dished the soup out, she grabbed spoons and carried them to the table. He joined her and they sat down to eat.

"I want to hate him so much," she whispered, staring at the soup in her bowl. Tears burned at her eyes again and she swore as she rubbed her eyes. "I want to stop all this goddamn crying," she spat. "I know it's only been a day, but…." She sighed and met Harry's eyes. "Why can he hurt me like this and me still love him so much?" she asked.

Harry sighed. He reached across the table and covered Hermione's hand with his own. "I know it feels like the world is ending," he said. "I know you want to hate him. It's easier for me to do that because he didn't mean as much to me as he meant to you. I'm so mad at him that I could probably cast an Unforgivable on him and not care. I'm trying to focus more on making sure that you're okay instead, since that's a much better use of my time. It's going to take you a lot of time to get through this, Hermione. Don't let anyone tell you that you're taking too long or moving too fast. You do this at your pace. You take all the time you need. You're going to love him still for a long time. You're going to hate him for a long time. But you'll get through it. You'll come out of this on the other side and you'll be a better person."

Hermione gave Harry a watery smile. "I hope you're right," she said before she turned back to her soup. Harry followed her lead and took a bite before he spoke again.

"Did I ever tell you why Ginny and I never got back together?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I never asked," she said. "I figured you two would get back together eventually. Then she and McLaggen got married last year so I figured that you two just never got around to it."

" McLaggen is actually the reason for that," Harry confessed for the first time. Hermione gave him a curious look. "He had to repeat his final year at Hogwarts," Harry explained. Hermione's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "He was part of the DA and actually helped Ginny orchestrate most of the things they did. They got quite close while we were hunting Horcruxes. They were a couple before the battle began. When Ginny told me, she said that she wanted to wait for me, but she couldn't deny her feelings for McLaggen."

"But he's such a brute," Hermione said, shaking her head. "I can't imagine anyone having any love for that ogre."

Harry laughed. "Just because _we_ didn't like him doesn't mean that she can't," Harry reminded.

Hermione shrugged. "At least she's happy," she said. "And you seem to be okay with it."

It was Harry's turn to shrug. "What am I going to do? Try to get between them?" he asked. He shook his head. "I'd rather her be happy with someone else. Besides, I was surprisingly relieved when she told me they were dating. Took the pressure off me. It took me a while to realize it, but I was never as in love with Ginny as I thought I was. It was hormones more than anything. The infatuation with my best friend's sister."

"So, you don't think you two would have lasted even if you had gotten back together?"

Harry shrugged. "We might have, but that's not the way life turned out, so I don't think about it," he said.

Hermione sighed. "I hope that I can get to where you are someday," she said. She looked at the kitchen and through the doorway to the living room. "Until then, I suppose I should pack Ron's things and take them to the Burrow."

"You pack things, I'll take everything to the Burrow. That way, you don't have to deal with it," Harry offered. "I'll tell them what's going on."

Hermione gave Harry a smile. "I appreciate that," she said. She sighed again. "It really is over," she whispered. She blinked back more tears. "This house… this life… all of it."

"I think it'll be easier once you're out of this house," Harry said. "You won't be surrounded by the memories. And get rid of the wedding box," he said, pointing his spoon at her. "It's just going to break your heart if you keep it."

"How did you know there was a wedding box?" Hermione asked.

Harry grinned. "Because I know you," he said. "I bet it's either under your bed or at the top of the closet and you've been filling it with plans and ideas from the moment you two started getting serious."

Hermione laughed. "Am I really that predictable?" she asked.

"Only to me," Harry said. "If you want help with all this, I'll call off tomorrow and help you."

"That would be really great," Hermione said. "I don't want to leave, but the sooner I get out of here, the better off I'll be." She sighed. "Maybe I won't cry so much tomorrow…."

"There are four words I keep in mind whenever I'm going through something that's upsetting my world. This is only temporary."

"This is only temporary," Hermione repeated. She nodded. "This is only temporary."

Harry smiled. "Yes, it is," he affirmed.


	4. Chapter 4 - Moving

Empty Rooms

Chapter 4 – Moving

Harry sighed as he lifted the last box labeled _Ron_. He looked at Hermione. "This is the last of it, right?" he asked.

Hermione looked around at all the boxes piled in the living room. "Yes," she said. She looked around again and nodded to herself. "Yes," she confirmed.

"Okay," Harry said. "I'll take this one to the Burrow and meet you back at my place?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "I'll be there," she promised.

Harry smiled at her before he Apparated to the Burrow. He walked up to the front door and entered before he carrying the box up to Ron's old bedroom. He looked around the room and remembered sharing it with Ron during the summers between years at Hogwarts. He shook his head, still struggling to believe that Ron could have been having an affair behind everyone's back. And to have a child with another woman without telling anyone?

Harry sighed and turned to leave only to find Molly standing in the doorway. "This is the last of it?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I don't know if Ron will ever come back for it, but this is all of it."

Molly shook her head. She had tears in her eyes as she pulled Harry into a hug. "I know you and Hermione are never going to be my kids, but you'll always be my kids," she said. "You're welcome here anytime. This is always going to be home for you, you hear me?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "I know," he said. "You gave me this same speech when Gin and Cormac got married."

Molly let him go and sighed. She looked at the boxes littering Ron's old room and shook her head again. "I hope he comes home soon," she said. "I'll box his ears in the minute he does, but I hope it's soon."

Harry laughed. "Not too soon," he said. "He comes home too soon and we're just as likely to hex him at this point as hug him."

Molly nodded. "True," she agreed. She hugged Harry again. "You take care of Hermione," she said. "Make sure she knows she's welcome anytime."

Harry nodded. "I will," he promised.

When Harry returned to his own house, Hermione was waiting, just as she promised. She smiled at him from her seat on his sofa.

"Did you get everything here that you want here?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "I put the rest in your shed," she said.

"Need help with anything?"

Hermione shrugged. "No," she said. He heard the sadness in her voice.

He walked over to the sofa and sat down next to her. "What do you want to do tonight?" he asked. "It's back to the real world tomorrow, so it's your last night of misery before you have to get back to the daily grind. The options are endless."

Hermione chewed her bottom lip as she thought about his question. "You know what I haven't done in a really long time?" she asked.

"What?"

"Gone to a movie."

Harry smiled. "You know what I've _never_ done in my entire life?" he asked.

"Gone to a movie?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded before he stood back up and held his hand out to Hermione. "There's a theater not too far from the Leaky Cauldron," he said. "We could go there and get dinner then head over to the theater and see what's playing."

Hermione smiled. "Perfect," she said.

* * *

The next day, Harry sat down at his desk at work reading some reports of vampire sightings in Wales. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, so he looked up. Standing in front of his desk was the last person he expected to see back in the office.

Harry set the report down on the table in front of him. "You have a lot of nerve showing up here," he said.

Ron cleared his throat as he sat down. "How is she?" he asked.

"Who? Hermione?" he asked. "Oh, she's lovely. She's perfectly happy now that she's had her dreams crushed and had to give up her home. Your things are at your parents' house, by the way. Stellar move, ruining your mother's birthday and making us all wonder what the hell happened to you."

"You don't understand, Harry—"

"You're bloody fucking right I don't understand!" Harry shouted as he slammed his fist on his desk. He felt the anger redden his face. "You should have had the goddamn decency to leave Hermione _before_ you started shagging Lavender. You should have just _told_ her that you weren't going to give her the happily ever after she expected."

"You know?" Ron asked, blinking in surprise.

"That you've been seeing Lavender behind Hermione's back and that she's pregnant?" Harry asked. "Yeah, I read the letters."

Ron sighed. "Look, I didn't want to hurt Hermione," he said. "I didn't even intend on things going as far with Lavender as they did. She was there for me, Harry. When Hermione was working late, when she didn't seem to care if I was around, and especially when she and I got into one of our fights, Lavender was there. And yeah, she's a werewolf now, but it doesn't matter. We're getting married next month. She wants to be married before the baby comes."

Harry shook his head. "Lavender was only there for you because you looked for her," he said. "You know what people who are actually committed to their partner do when there's trouble? They talk to their _partner_ about it, not some ex-girlfriend who walks back into their life out of nowhere. You allowed things to progress with Lavender because you didn't have the _courage_ to talk to Hermione about your problems."

"You don't understand," Ron said again. "You haven't been in a serious relationship. You have no room to talk to me about how to make it work when you yourself couldn't."

Harry swallowed his rage before it unleashed on the man he once called his best friend. "Your desk is cleared out. Everything you had in the house with Hermione is now at your parents' house. You have no reason to be here, so go be somewhere else."

"You're choosing her over me, aren't you?" Ron asked. "I thought you might be on my side, but I should have known better. You've been in love with Hermione for years, so it's no surprise that you'd take her side in all this."

Harry met Ron's gaze. "To be clear, I'm on her side because you're being a jackass," Harry said. "I understand that you're happier with Lavender than you thought you could be with Hermione. Congratulations. I'm glad that you're happy with her. But you're not the one picking up the pieces of the atom bomb you dropped on Hermione's life. She had _everything_ planned out for your futures. There were clear goals that you were _both_ supposed to be working toward. And instead of having the decency to tell her that you changed your mind, you abandoned her without warning. You vanished. You know what she's been asking me most the last few days?" Harry asked. Ron shook his head. "She keeps asking what she did to deserve this. She keeps wondering what she did wrong. You know what? She's not perfect, but she didn't deserve you cheating on her. She didn't deserve a boyfriend who quit the relationship months before being bothered enough to mention it to her. So yes, I am choosing her over you. If it were the other way around, I'd be choosing you over her, but it would never be the other way around because Hermione wouldn't be so cruel."

"I'm not being _cruel_, Harry—"

"No, you're being bloody selfish and you're a downright prick for doing it," Harry spat. "Now, if you don't mind, I have some work to do. You know the way out."

Ron sighed. Harry picked his file back up and stared at the report of the vampire. It was another minute before Ron got up and walked away. Harry watched the other man leave the department behind and turned back to the report. After staring blankly at the words for another minute, he sighed and put it back down. He couldn't focus now that Ron had shown up. Harry grabbed a piece of purple parchment and wrote out a note to Hermione asking if she wanted to go get lunch before he tapped it with his wand. The paper folded itself into a paper airplane and took off.

A few minutes later, Hermione's reply arrived saying that she'd love to get lunch with him. Harry smiled and put the file in his desk. He locked the drawers and then made his way down to Hermione's office in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hermione smiled as Harry sat down at her desk, but her smile quickly faltered when she saw her friend's face.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

Harry sighed. "Ron showed up," he said.

Her face fell. "And what did he have to say for himself?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "He spewed out nothing but sorry excuses," he said. "Tried to make it sound like what happened with Lavender was accidental. He did indicate that he's not coming back, though."

"Oh?" Hermione asked. Harry could see that she was trying not to let him know how desperate she was for news because she hated feeling that way.

Harry sighed. "It won't be easy to hear," he said.

"Rip the bandage off, Harry," Hermione said, meeting his eyes. "No matter how bad it is."

Harry nodded. "Okay," he said. "Ron and Lavender are getting married next month because she wants to be married before the baby's born."

Hermione froze for a moment before she cleared her throat. She started straightening up the neat papers on her desk before she put them down and looked at Harry, fresh tears glistening in her eyes. "That bloody bastard," she whispered as the tears started to fall. "I could kill him," she continued.

"I wanted to," Harry agreed.

Hermione cleared her throat again. She shook her head. "Let's go get soup," she said before she stood up. Harry followed her lead and the two of them left for the Leaky Cauldron to get their lunch.


	5. Chapter 5 - Letting Go

Empty Rooms

Chapter 5 – Letting Go

After work, Hermione went back to the house she shared with Ron for a final walkthrough to make sure she hadn't left anything behind. As she walked through the empty rooms, she remembered the first time they saw the house. She was so excited. She'd almost danced from one room to the next, picturing it all in her mind.

She remembered excitedly detailing everything to Ron when they'd gotten back to the Burrow to talk about whether they'd buy it. She remembered seeing his blue eyes sparkle with anticipation of what they could do with their future. She remembered their first night after signing the paperwork. They didn't have any furniture yet. There were a few boxes they moved in with, but most of the rooms were empty for a while. They'd laid a blanket out on the floor and ordered takeout for dinner.

A tear fell from Hermione's eyes as she remembered that first night together.

To have everything come crashing down around her less than two years later made her wonder if it was worth ever having hope again. She could just go on with her life pretending to not care about being single. She could throw her entire focus into her work and dedicate her life to making things better. She could be the next Minister for Magic, if she put her mind to it.

She opened the door to the bedroom. She didn't remember shutting it. Inside of the empty room, there was a folded piece of parchment.

Hermione felt her stomach turn to ice and plummet through the floor. She walked to the middle of the room and picked it up.

_Hermione,_

_I'm sure Harry told you about our meeting. He's on_ _your side in all of this, so it wouldn't surprise me if he told you the minute I left. Honestly, I'm surprised he hasn't tried to make a move on you yet. Or maybe he has. I know he's been in love with you for more years than I can count. Probably longer than I was._

_Anyway, I just wanted to tell you to send the paperwork I'll need to sign for the house to my post box in London. I'll collect it and sign it, then send it to Harry's. If there's anything else you need me to take care of, just send it that way._

_Best of luck. Sorry things didn't go the way you planned._

_Ron_

Hermione crumpled the note in her hands before she opened it back up and read it again. "What?" she whispered. _I know he's been in love with you for more years than I can count,_ the letter stated. Hermione stared at the note, letting those words sink in, before she turned on the spot. She Apparated back to Harry's house, hoping to confront him about what Ron said.

Instead, she got there to find he was in the shower.

Hermione sighed. Unable to confront Harry immediately, she walked into her bedroom and shut the door. She sat down on her bed and stared at the door. Was Harry really in love with her? Why would Ron say that if it wasn't true? Why would he say it at all?

She rubbed her forehead. If Harry was in love with her, she couldn't stay at his house. She'd be taking advantage of his generosity and feelings. It wasn't fair to him. She'd start looking for an apartment immediately so that she wouldn't risk using Harry.

But it was silly, of course. Harry couldn't be in love with her. He'd been completely blinded by Cho and Ginny while they were at Hogwarts. She was never on the list of people he fancied. He _loved_ her, but he wasn't _in love_ with her. He couldn't be. And if that was the case, she wouldn't mind living with him.

She heard the shower shut off and glanced at the time. She got up and walked out to the kitchen to start preparing a meal for their dinner.

Harry seemed surprised when he walked into the kitchen and saw Hermione at the stove. "I didn't hear you come home," he said.

"You were in the shower," Hermione replied. "I went back to my house to see if there was anything I'd forgotten. Ron went back to the house and left me another note."

Harry frowned. "I'm sorry," he said. "What did he have to say this time?"

"That you're in love with me and that he's surprised you haven't tried making a move yet," Hermione said, trying to keep her tone casual. "Also, that he has a post box in London that I can send paperwork to if he needs to sign anything and then he'll send it back to me here."

Harry made a sound that seemed somewhere between agreement and doubt. Hermione looked at him. He didn't seem disturbed or shaken by anything she'd just said. "What?" she asked. "You don't think he'll send it?"

"No, I think it's convenient that he already has a post box in London but couldn't be bothered to tell you that he wasn't interested in being with you anymore after he started seeing Lavender again."

Hermione let out a bitter laugh. "I can agree with you on that one," she said. She shook her head. "Ron was usually the simple one," she said. "Easy to read. Easy to predict. You were always the complex wild card. The most I could count on with you was that you were absolutely going to put yourself in harm's way because it meant that you'd either save someone you cared about or you'd get a lead on Voldemort."

Harry nodded. "Still pretty much the same," he said. "And Ron is still being predictable and easy to read. He's thinking with something other than his brain and it's led him astray. Unfortunately, it's too late now to fix anything so he's going to have to live with the consequences of what he's done. I know Molly is furious with him, but I don't know if it's because of what he did to you or if it's just because his timing sucks."

Hermione sighed and turned the heat off. She turned around and met Harry's gaze. "Is what he said true?" she asked. "Are you in love with me?"

"You're my best friend, Hermione," he replied.

"That's not what I asked, Harry."

Harry sighed.

Hermione nodded. "I'll start looking for an apartment," she said. "I don't want to take advantage of your kindness."

"No," Harry said. Hermione turned around to resume cooking and Harry stepped up to her. "I meant it when I said you could stay here," he insisted. "I want you to stay here. I'll keep my distance," he promised. "I won't do anything different than I've done in the past. Nothing will change."

Hermione met his emerald gaze again. "Promise me," she said. "Promise me that we'll stay friends. I can't handle anything more than that right now. I don't want anything more than that. I also don't want to lose you. You're all I have left, Harry."

Harry didn't look away. He kept his eyes on hers. "I swear to you that I won't make the first move," he promised. Hermione took note of his wording. He left it open. If _she_ made the first move, he'd make the second. If she never made the first move, he'd never attempt to do it himself.

"Thank you," she said.

"So, you'll stay?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. "I'll stay," she promised.


	6. Chapter 6 - Regret

Empty Rooms

Chapter 6 – Regret

When Harry retired to his bedroom for the evening, he flopped face-down onto his bed and let out a groan of frustration. Why had he agreed to that? Why hadn't he confessed everything to her, right there, and made her fall as in love with him as he was with her?

On the bright side, she hadn't run away screaming into the night. She agreed to continue to live with him. That meant there was hope. It meant he wasn't losing her. Yet. He'd just have to be careful and keep his distance as much as possible.

Harry rolled over onto his back with a sigh and stared at the ceiling above him. "Could be worse," he told himself.

Over the next few days, Harry noticed that Hermione seemed distant toward him. He could tell that she was pulling away and knew that it was likely because she now knew how he felt about her. He wished she wouldn't. One of the things he loved most about their friendship was their closeness. Clearly, her knowing the depth of his feelings toward her made her unnerved. He couldn't blame her. If their positions were reversed, he'd probably pull away from her as well.

It wasn't the only change they had to deal with. Before they had a chance to decide if they were going to the Weasley's weekly family dinner, a letter from Molly arrived to ask them not to come that week. Ron had reached out to his family and explained his side of the story. He wanted to bring Lavender to meet everyone. He wanted them to be at his wedding. He wanted them to accept her as part of the family.

His only request was that, during this _delicate_ time, Harry and Hermione should not be present.

Not that Harry or Hermione wanted to be anywhere near Lavender or Ron.

Molly's letter also stated that the only reason she wasn't having them over for dinner on a different night was because it was literally the only night of the week where the entire family could come together, and Ron wanted _everyone_ to meet Lavender. Even those members of the family who attended Hogwarts while the rest of them were—which meant that everyone except Charlie, Bill, Molly, and Arthur had met Lavender at least once.

Which led to Harry and Hermione suddenly having no plans whatsoever that Friday evening.

Hermione curled up on the couch with a blanket and a book. Harry, who had brought his work home with him, sat on the other end of the sofa reading yet another vampire attack report.

The silence stretched between them, but it was a comfortable silence. Neither of them felt the need to fill the air with meaningless conversation or some sort of background noise. Harry kept sneaking glances at Hermione as he worked. He wanted to reach out and touch her but remembered that he had sworn not to make the first move, no matter how much he wanted to. Besides, Hermione hadn't been feeling well. In fact, they probably wouldn't have gone to the Burrow for dinner that night just because Hermione wasn't up for much.

"Do you want soup for dinner?" Harry asked as he set his file down. He was ready to make their dinner for the evening and needed to step away from his work.

Hermione chewed her bottom lip. "Yeah," she said.

"Still not feeling well?" Harry asked.

She shook her head. "No, not really," she replied. "I'm exhausted, everything hurts, and I feel almost feverish, but my temperature is fine."

"No idea what could be wrong?" Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged. "It's probably just a cold or something," she said. "Which makes soup sound just perfect."

Harry smiled. "One bowl of chicken soup coming right up," he promised. He left her alone with her book as he busied himself in the kitchen, occasionally stealing glances at her when he could step away from the stove.

The moment Harry set the bowl down in front of Hermione, she jumped up and pushed him aside as she ran with her hand covering her mouth. Bewildered, Harry followed her to the bathroom and found Hermione bent over the toilet. Harry stepped up to her and pulled her hair back as she vomited. He knelt down and rubbed her back until she finished.

Hermione flushed the toilet and sat back against the wall. Harry let her go to wet a washcloth. He handed it to her and Hermione wiped her face with it. "That's some bug," Harry said. "I can't even remember the last time you got sick."

Hermione closed her eyes. "Oh no," she whispered.

"What?" Harry asked.

Hermione met his eyes. "I think I'm pregnant," she whispered.

Harry's stomach plummeted through the floor beneath him. He braced himself against the counter. He stammered over his words for a moment before he sighed and reached out to Hermione. He helped her to her feet. "Do you know a spell to find out for sure?" he asked.

"No, but I can look it up," she replied before she started brushing her teeth.

"Anything I can do?" Harry asked.

Hermione spit out the toothpaste. "There's a book in my room, _Common Spells for the Home_. Can you find that for me?"

Harry nodded. "Sure thing," he said. He gave her a kiss on the back of her head and a small hug before he left the bathroom. He walked down the hallway to her room and stepped inside. Her books were everywhere, but Harry knew there was a system. He looked over the books, praying that the result would be negative. He didn't want to think about Ron using her like that. Knowing what he knew now about Ron's affair, the fact that he could go from telling Lavender that he wanted to marry her to sleeping with Hermione made him sick.

He found the book and flipped it to the index. He found the entry for a witch to find out if she was pregnant and turned to that page before he took it to Hermione in the living room. He held the book out to her and sat down.

Hermione read the passage before she reached for Harry's hand. She squeezed his fingers tightly as she gripped her wand in her hand. She took in a deep, steadying breath. "_Graviditate,_" she whispered.

There was a brief, hopeful moment where nothing happened. After that moment passed, sparks shot out of the tip of Hermione's wand like a firecracker.

Hermione dropped her wand as if it burned her and she turned to Harry as she started to cry. Harry wrapped his arms around her, his own tears burning at his eyes. "It's going to be okay," he promised her. He held her tight and rocked her. "It's going to be okay."

Hermione shook her head. "I don't want this," she cried. "Why is this happening to me? What did I do?"

Harry's heart broke for her. He kissed her forehead. "It's not your fault," he said.

She pulled away from him. "I could kill him," she said. "I wanted to wait until we were married," she said through her tears. She brushed them away angrily. "I told him that I didn't want to risk this. And to know that he was already with _Lavender_ by the time I reluctantly agreed?" She stood up and started pacing. She stopped at looked at Harry. "Do you have _any_ idea how _violated_ I feel?" she whispered. "How I've felt?"

Harry shook his head. "No," he whispered. "And I never will. But I can tell you that I want to beat Ron until he stops moving. I want to take care of you and anyone else who comes along. I'm here for you no matter what."

Hermione stopped pacing and turned to him. "Why?" she whispered. Fresh tears fell down her cheeks. "Why do you love me so much, Harry? I didn't lead you on, did I?"

Harry shook his head. "No, you didn't," he confirmed. "Hermione, there's no one thing you did that made me fall for you. There's no one reason I love you either. And I've long accepted the fact that I might not ever get the chance to be with you. You've been with Ron for years, Hermione. You were on the track to marriage. I never had a chance. And I've _tried_ to get these feelings to go away. I've dated other women. I've told myself a thousand times that I don't have a shot."

"Harry…"

Harry held up his hands. "You don't have to say anything," he said. "You're under a lot of stress right now, especially with this added to it. So, focus on yourself. Do whatever you have to do, Hermione. Heal. Reach out to Ron and tell him that there are two children in his future, not just one."

Hermione sighed. "What do I say to him?" she whispered.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Start with, 'you asshole'," he suggested. Hermione chuckled. "Honestly, just write him a letter. Lay it all out for him. Tell him everything he needs to know. Then decide if you want to send it or burn it."

Hermione gave Harry a sad smile. "What would I do without you right now, Harry?" she asked.

Harry smiled. "You'd probably still be hiding in a bathroom at Hogwarts because of the troll Quirrell let loose on the castle."

Hermione chuckled. "Merlin, that feels like a thousand years ago," she whispered. She sat up straighter. "Are they still at the Burrow?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "Probably," he said.

Hermione smiled. "Let's go," she said. "I want to ruin his night like he ruined my life."

* * *

**AN: I just wanted to ask you all to stick with me during this difficult time. Writing in this pregnancy was not easy. I hate Ron on a personal level and I swear that, as a writer, I didn't make this decision. lol If you've written anything, you probably know that stories tend to write themselves and that's what happened here. So stick with me. We'll see how this goes. Anyone wanna take a guess at what Hermione's gonna do to Ron when she sees him?**


	7. Chapter 7 - Contact

Empty Rooms

Chapter 7 - Contact

Hermione opened the door to the Burrow and marched in. The sounds of people eating in the dining room greeted them. Harry followed her through the kitchen.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked. "Harry? I thought you two weren't…"

Hermione marched up to Ron and let her fist fly. She punched him as he stood up, sending him sprawling out onto the floor.

Lavender stood up. "Leave him alone!" she shouted.

Hermione turned to her. "Stay out of this!" she snapped.

"Bloody hell, Hermione," Ron muttered. He pushed himself up to his feet, rubbing his jaw. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm pregnant," Hermione growled. She pointed to Lavender. "You were already sleeping with her by the time you convinced me to sleep with you." She pushed him back. "You're a bloody cockroach, Ronald! I _hate_ you!" She put her hands on her stomach. "This baby?" she asked. "You will _never_ meet it."

"You can't keep my child away from me, Hermione!" Ron protested.

Hermione met his eyes. "That's where you're wrong," she said. "This is _my_ child. Not yours. I will not let you ruin my life any more than you already have." She looked at Lavender, whose hands were protectively covering her swollen belly. "You destroyed my plans at a future," she said. "Keep him. I don't want him back. And now _you_ can live with the knowledge that even though he chose you over me, he still had me _after_ he promised to leave me for you."

Lavender gaped at Hermione as she walked away and stood next to Harry. She turned back and looked at the rest of the Weasley family. "Let us know when you'd like us back over for dinner," she said before she and Harry left them all behind.

Later, back at Harry's house, Hermione sat on the sofa with a steaming mug of tea in her hands. She breathed in the smell of the tea, closing her eyes. She let it soothe her, felt every muscle start to relax. "I can do this, right?" she asked. "Be a single mother?"

Harry sighed beside her and she opened her eyes to look at him. He set down his tea and scratched his head. "You can, but you don't have to," he told her. "I'll always be right here to help you in any way I can. I'll change diapers if you need. I know you're going to want to do this as independently as you can, but you don't have to."

Hermione smiled at him. "I don't deserve you, Harry," she said in a soft voice. She shook her head. "Not at all."

"What makes you say that?" Harry asked.

Hermione gave him a guilty smile. "Because I don't know if I'll ever feel the same about you that you do for me," she said. "I don't know if there will ever come a day when I look at you and know that my world will stop turning if you walked away from me. I feel like I'm just taking advantage of you by letting you help me this much."

Harry smiled at her. "Trust me, Hermione, if I ever feel like you're taking advantage of me, I'll tell you."

"Promise?"

Harry nodded. "Promise," he confirmed. "But I do have one thing to add."

"What's that?" Hermione asked.

"Can you punch Ron in the jaw every time we see him?" Harry asked with a grin. "I want to relive that memory over and over. It was better than when you punched Malfoy."

Hermione laughed. "I'll blame it on the hormones," she promised. She sighed. "I feel so stupid, Harry," she whispered. She rubbed her eyes. "One time. I let him talk me into it _one_ time. And we were _careful_, which is what I really don't understand," she said, shaking her head as she turned to him again. "I don't know if I cast the spell wrong or what happened, but I was careful! I even made him use an actual condom."

"Then how the hell did you end up pregnant?" Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know," she whispered. She shook her head. "That's what's so upsetting about this to me. I told Ron that I wanted to wait because I didn't want to risk getting pregnant. He talks me into it one time, and I make sure that we're extra careful…." She sighed. "Merlin…" she whispered. She looked back at Harry. "The spell we used takes two people to cast. If he messed up, either on purpose or accidentally, it wouldn't have worked at all. And it's possible that the condom was defective or he didn't put it on right because it's Ron and it's a muggle thing…." She held her head in her hands. "It didn't matter how careful I was," she whispered. "And this is why the only form of birth control that is one-hundred percent effective is abstinence."

Harry reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey," he said. She looked up at him. "If we could beat Voldemort, raising a baby's going to be nothing," he promised.

Hermione laughed. "I suppose you're right," she agreed.

"Why don't you get some sleep," Harry suggested. "We'll tackle this more tomorrow."

Hermione nodded. "That sounds like a brilliant idea," she said. "Goodnight, Harry."

She stood and discarded the blanket on the sofa. She left her tea on the coffee table. She walked back to her bedroom and shut the door behind her. She didn't bother to turn off the light. She crawled into bed, pulled the covers up to her neck, and closed her eyes.

That night, she dreamed of Harry and the baby. It was a girl with flaming red hair. She had Ron's eyes, but she called Harry "Daddy". The three of them were a family. Her name was Lily Potter. There was a ring glinting on Hermione's hand and at some point, Harry walked up to her and kissed her before he pulled away from her to kiss her stomach.

It was a beautiful dream and Hermione woke in the morning with a smile on her face. She looked at her bedroom door and wondered for the first time in her life what it would be like to kiss Harry Potter.

Before she let her mind wander too far down that path, Hermione made her way to the bathroom for a shower.

Harry had gotten to it before her. She could hear the shower running as she approached the bathroom door. When she reached it, she noticed he hadn't shut it all the way. Hermione walked up the door with the intention of closing it to give Harry his privacy. The moment her hand touched the doorknob, she heard him gasp. Curious, she looked into the bathroom. The mirror showed her a glimpse into the shower where she saw Harry standing under the water, pleasuring himself. Hermione gasped. Her initial reaction was to yank the door shut and run away, but she didn't want to alert him to her presence. She watched him, feeling her face flush and her body respond to the sight. She wanted to jump into the shower and help him find his release—something she'd never thought of before. She bit her bottom lip before she eased the door shut and rushed back to her bedroom. If he thought she was still asleep, he'd never need to know that she'd seen him.


	8. Chapter 8 – Responsibilities

Empty Rooms

Chapter 8 – Responsibilities

Harry knocked on the door to Hermione's bedroom. "Come in," she called before he opened it. He smiled when he saw her sitting at her desk, writing in her journal. "What's up?" she asked.

"It's my weekend to have Teddy," Harry informed her. "I'm going to go pick him up and bring him here."

"You only get him on the weekends?" Hermione asked.

"For now," Harry said with a nod. "When Andromeda and I talked about it, we both agreed that I was too young to take full responsibility for him at only seventeen, so we decided it would be best for him to live with her. Now, I work long and sometimes very crazy hours, so I take him when I can."

"Oh," Hermione said. Harry wondered if she realized before now that he was actively involved in his godson's life.

"We'll be back in about ten minutes, okay?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "Where is he going to sleep?" she asked.

"He has a bed in my room," Harry informed her.

Hermione stared at Harry in surprise before he chuckled and waived at her. He went to the fireplace in the living room and tossed in some Floo Powder.

Once at Andromeda's house, Teddy ran up to Harry with his arms outstretched. Harry knelt as Teddy rushed him and threw his arms around his godfather's neck. Harry smiled as he stood up and Andromeda walked into the room.

"We need to talk, Harry," she said.

"Okay," Harry agreed. He looked at the young boy in his arms with bright blue hair. "You got your stuff ready?" he asked. Teddy nodded. "Okay, why don't you go play and I'll call you when its time to go," he said as he put Teddy down. Teddy ran off to play and Andromeda led Harry to the dining room where tea was ready.

They sat down. Andromeda watched Harry for a moment. "What's new?" she asked.

Harry let out a chuckle. "A lot," he said. He took a sip of his tea. "Hermione's living with me now," he said. "She and Ron recently broke up. She's also just found out that she's pregnant, so she's processing a lot of things right now. He also told her that I'm in love with her, so that's out in the open now too."

"Oh," Andromeda said. "That is a lot."

Harry nodded. "Yeah. But it's been a smooth transition. She's adjusting fine to the breakup. I think the baby is going to take her a lot longer to come around to. She really doesn't want any reminders of Ron and what he did to her and now she's going to have one for the rest of her life."

"And how is she taking knowing your feelings for her?" Andromeda asked.

Harry sighed. "She's worried that I'll end up letting her take advantage of me because of the way I feel about her," he confessed. "And she's right. I probably will, no matter how much I tell her otherwise, though I think that her idea of taking advantage of me and mine are different. I promised to tell her if I thought she was getting too comfortable with my generosity."

"Make sure you do," Andromeda said. "The only way your situation is going to work is with trust and if you let her walk all over you without setting the boundary, there's not going to be enough trust."

Harry nodded. "I'll keep that in mind," he said.

"I do have something I need to discuss with you," Andromeda said.

"Of course."

"Teddy's going to be five next year," she said. "Now, Dora and Remus wanted him to be with you if anything happened to them, but you were still so young when they died." Her voice broke and Harry saw the tears in her eyes. He imagined that no parent ever got over the death of a child, no matter how old that child was when it happened. She took a moment to collect herself before she spoke again. "I think that it's time that you started taking Teddy more," she said. "I know your schedule as an Auror is a little chaotic at times, but I know that they wanted you to be the one raising him, not me. You're not seventeen anymore, Harry, and he absolutely adores you."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. "You think I'm ready?"

Andromeda nodded. "I do," she said. "We can start out slowly. Take him for the weekend this time, but then start taking him for a week at a time. Then two, then a month, and so on. Obviously, he's welcome to be here at any time, so if you need a break or someone to watch him while you're at work, I won't turn him away."

Harry nodded. "Alright," he said.

"I do have one question for you," Andromeda said.

"What's that?"

"I know how you feel about Hermione. Now that she's living with you, what are you going to do if she isn't okay with Teddy living with you? If it comes down to you choosing between them?"

Harry sighed. He shook his head. "That'd be a tough one, you know?" he asked. "And I'd love to say that I'd immediately choose Teddy over Hermione, but I can't help but wonder if that's true. I love them both so much, you know?" he asked, meeting her eyes. "I don't know how I'd ever choose between them, but Teddy is my godson. He's the innocent one. If I have to choose between them, it won't be because of him. It'll be because of her. And, knowing that, I would choose Teddy. As much as it would break my heart because I do love Hermione so much, I would let her go for him."

Andromeda smiled. "You're ready to be a father, Harry," she said.

Harry chuckled. "You think?" he asked.

She nodded. "Only someone prepared to be a father would give an answer like that," she said.

After finishing their tea, Harry called for his godson and they tumbled through the fireplace to Harry's house. They arrived to the smell of freshly baked cookies and went to the kitchen to find out what was happening.

Harry stopped in the doorway of the kitchen. Hermione stood at the stove with an apron on. She had pulled her hair up into a bun to keep it out of the way and a few shorter hairs had fallen loose. She had her wand tucked in her hair and she was bent over a recipe book. A timer dinged and she pulled her wand out of her hair to point it at the stove. The oven opened, the cookies floated out, and set themselves on a rack to cool.

As Hermione turned off the oven, she noticed Harry standing in the doorway with Teddy in his arms. She grinned. "Hey," she said. "You were gone longer than I thought you would be so I decided to make some cookies for Teddy."

Harry smiled. He wanted nothing more than to walk up and kiss her for her thoughtfulness, but instead, put Teddy down on the floor. Teddy looked at Harry, his hair fading to a light brown instead of the vibrant blue it was moments before. "Can I have a cookie?" he whispered.

Harry nodded. "Of course, you can," he said. He grabbed one of the cooled cookies from the pile and handed it to Teddy before grabbing another for himself. He held one out to Hermione as well. "I didn't realize you baked," he said.

Hermione laughed. "I don't," she said. "Normally. But," she sighed. She held a hand over her stomach. "I feel like I should be a little more homemaker and a little less politician right now."

Harry nodded. "I can understand that," he said. He cleared his throat. "Looks like I need to be a little more father and a little less cop myself."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded toward Teddy. "Andromeda wants me to gradually assume guardianship of him," he said. "She feels like it's time. So, I'm going to start taking him longer and longer until I'm the one sending him to her for the weekends instead of the other way around."

"Oh," Hermione said.

Harry met her eyes. "Are you okay with that?" he asked. "You are living here, after all."

Hermione smiled. "Of course," she said. "But we are going to need a bigger house."

Harry laughed. "Two bedrooms and four people. We are certainly going to need more space."


	9. Chapter 9 – Letters

AN: Sorry about the long wait between updates. We've recently moved and there's been a lot of stress, so I've just been putting off things like this while I wait for them to calm down.

Empty Rooms

Chapter 9 – Letters

The first letter arrived on the following Monday. Hermione was at work when the letter plopped onto her desk. It landed face-down, so she picked it up and turned it over to see who it was from. There was no return information, just her name and department in unmistakable handwriting.

With a frustrated sigh, Hermione opened the letter. She didn't necessarily want to know what Ron had to say, but she felt that she would only continue to hear from him and wanted to get in front of the issue before it became a problem.

She unfolded the parchment and started to read.

_Hermione-_

_I can't believe you. I'm disgusted at your behavior. I specifically asked Mum to make sure that you and Harry weren't at dinner on Friday night because I wanted it to be a pleasant evening, but you couldn't even let me have that. You barged in with this ridiculous claim that you're pregnant and then you hit me! Twice! I know you're a lot of things, Hermione, but I never once believed you'd be so manipulative. I'm sorry you can't get over our breakup but hurting Lavender like that was uncalled for. She's been so upset all weekend that they've had to stop her labor twice. If anything happens to her or my child, nothing will stop me from coming after you. I will destroy you, Hermione._

_-Ron_

Hermione stared at the letter, reading and rereading it before she crumpled it up and tossed it into the rubbish bin. She stood up from her desk and started pacing in front of the enchanted window. Ron didn't believe she was pregnant, which meant that he hadn't messed up the spell on purpose. It also meant that he didn't know he either used the condom wrong or it broke. Hermione shook her head as she ran her hands through her hair.

"No matter," she told herself. "I told him. He knows. That's the last I need to talk to him. Don't even reply to the letter, Hermione. Just move on with your life."

Then another letter arrived. Hermione sighed before she opened it as well.

_I hate you_

Ron's handwriting once again. Three words and nothing more. Hermione threw it away as well. Why was she suddenly the bad guy when it was him who had destroyed everything?

Another letter.

She didn't know why she tortured herself by reading it even as she opened it.

_If you are really pregnant, I bet the baby isn't even mine. It's probably Harry's. I doubt you were even a virgin when we did it. I bet you opened your legs for Harry after I left you guys alone in the forest. You're a slut._

With tears in her eyes, Hermione crumpled the letter and tossed it aside. She curled up in a ball under her desk and wrapped her arms around her knees. She just needed a minute, she told herself as the tears started to fall.

When Harry showed up, Hermione's desk was covered in letters with Ron's messy handwriting addressing them to her. He found her under her desk because it wasn't the first time she'd hidden there to escape her emotions. She was still curled up in a ball and Harry had to coax her out.

When he finally got her out from under the desk, she clung to him and cried. Harry saw one of the crumpled letters next to the bin and picked it up. He read the words as she cried into his shoulder and felt his blood begin to boil.

"Let's go home," Harry said. "I'll take care of this."

Hermione nodded before Harry stood up, carrying her in his arms. "Hold on tight," he said. Hermione responded by tightening her arms around his neck. Harry apparated them back to his house before he carried her to her bedroom. He sat down on her bed, still cradling her in his arms.

Hermione felt safe enough to fall asleep. Harry moved to lay her down on her bed, but she shook her head. "No," she whispered.

"No?" Harry asked.

"Hold me?" Hermione asked, her voice small and hurt. "I don't want to be alone."

Harry sighed. "Of course," he said. Hermione tried not to hear the heartache in his voice.

He kicked off his shoes and slipped hers off her feet before he moved to lay with her on her bed, spooning her from behind but making sure to keep certain areas from touching her.

As upset as she was, she easily conjured up the image of him masturbating in the shower. As upset as she was, the thought of what she'd seen made her body respond. She pressed into him and felt him stiffen behind her.

Harry cleared his throat as he tried to separate himself from her. Hermione didn't want to lose his warmth, so she held his arm around her. She rolled over to face him. This close, she could see details in his eyes that she'd never noticed before. He had thick eyelashes. There were so many different shades of green in his eyes. He had other scars on his face, not just the lightning bolt on his forehead. There was stubble on his cheeks.

Before she let herself second guess it or overthink it, she moved toward him and pressed her lips against his.

Harry was stunned for a moment before he reached up and threaded his fingers through her thick hair and kissed her back with so much heat and desire that it left Hermione dizzy and breathless. It was everything she wanted in a kiss and so much more. Their tongues danced. She wanted more. She wanted all of it.

With difficulty, Harry pulled away and Hermione was surprised to see the sadness in his eyes. "What?" she whispered.

Harry shook his head. "Not like this," he whispered. "Merlin knows that I want to kiss you and never stop, but you're still grieving, Hermione. It isn't fair to either one of us. I want to love you forever, but I want you to be ready for it. I don't want to just be your port in the storm. It would destroy me if I gave you what you're looking for right now only for you to decide to move on to someone else down the road."

"Harry, that's not—"

"Please," he whispered. He brushed some hair away from her face. "Give it more time. Ron hurt you today. I read the letter. I know he did. The next time you kiss me, I don't want it to be on a day like today. I don't even want it to be on a good day. I want it to be a calm day, where nothing exciting or heartbreaking is happening. I want you to kiss me because you want to do it, not because you're seeking comfort. Okay?" he asked.

After a moment, Hermione nodded. "Okay," she reluctantly agreed.

Harry pulled away from her again and this time she let him. He closed the door as he left her room and Hermione curled up around her pillow as she started to cry once again and cursed herself for being so emotional. Then, as if she had forgotten, she remembered that she was pregnant and blamed everything on the hormones. If she kissed Harry again, it wouldn't be until she was no longer pregnant.


	10. Chapter 10 - Options

Empty Rooms

Chapter 10: Options

Hermione tapped her quill against her lip as she stared through the window of her bedroom. She could hear a bird chirping somewhere nearby. The sky was grey with overcast clouds. Leaves covered the grass. People walking down the street were bundled against the wind. The weather was turning colder. She knew it would start snowing soon.

She looked back down at the parchment in front of her. She had a word written in each third of the length. _Acceptance, Adoption, Abortion_. She closed her eyes and rubbed them, pinching the bridge of her nose for a moment.

She held her hand over her stomach for a moment before her hand clenched into a fist. She'd been so emotional lately that she hadn't stopped to think about what she could do about the baby. This was the first time she felt calm enough to stop and think. Making pros and cons lists certainly helped with that.

She drew a line down the center of the parchment.

She started with the most difficult one for her.

_Acceptance_

_Pros:_

_First child_

She tapped the quill against her lip again. What good could she find in a child she didn't want from a man she had begun to hate?

_Harry's help_

She shook her head and crossed that out. If she was going to keep this baby, it was going to be because _she_ wanted to keep it, not because Harry promised to change the diapers or hold her hand every step of the way.

She tapped her foot on the floor. She tried to picture herself with a baby in her arms. Being a mother. She wanted to be a mother someday. That was never in question. But she had always planned to be married first. Her current situation was the exact reason she didn't want to have sex with Ron to begin with. She didn't want to be put in a position like this. Of course, she thought she would be safe with the extra precautions they took.

She moved on to the cons side of her acceptance list. This was much easier for her.

_Unplanned_

_Unwanted_

_Goes against 5 Year Plan_

_Ron's child_

She moved on to Adoption, satisfied with her cons.

_Adoption_

_Pros Cons_

_Baby lives Still pregnant_

_Only delays 5 Year Plan Guilty about passing off responsibility_

_Someone will love it What if Harry hates me for it? _

_Will likely be adopted by someone who can't have kids_

She stared at the last line. Her heart raced and her throat clenched at the thought of doing anything that would turn him away from her. He didn't have a family. What if he couldn't look at her for giving her own up willingly? He was an orphan. He knew better than anyone else that her baby might not find a loving home. It could end up in an orphanage. It could end up abused.

Tears burned at her eyes at the thought of her child ending up in a cupboard under the stairs. If she was going to give birth to this baby, that uncertain fear made her wonder if she would actually be able to give it up. Wouldn't it be best for her to raise the child herself? At least she could learn to love it.

She sighed and moved on to the next list.

_Abortion_

_Pros Cons_

_Not pregnant anymore What if Harry hates me for it?_

_No more drama I don't want to do it_

_Ron not forever connected to me_

_No guilt about not raising it myself_

_No change to 5 Year Plan_

_Move on with my life_

Looking at her list, Hermione knew that keeping the baby would be the hardest thing she would ever do. She had far more reason to either abort or adopt the baby out. Her heart raced as she looked at her list. A human life rest in her hands. What if her child would have been the next Nicholas Flamel? Then again, what if her child would have been the next Voldemort?

Hermione set her quill down and held her face in her hands. She sighed before she stood up and walked away from her desk. She didn't want him to influence her decision, but she had to know what he thought.

Harry sat in the living room reading a document with a cup of water on the table next to him. He looked up as Hermione entered the room and saw the distress on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked immediately.

Hermione sighed as she sat down on the sofa next to him. "I'm torn," she told him. "And while I want to make this decision myself, I want your input."

"Okay," Harry said. He set the paper he was reading aside and turned to face Hermione, giving her his full attention. Ron never did that. "Talk to me."

Hermione nodded. "It's about the baby," she prefaced. "I figure I have three options: keeping it, adopting it out, or aborting it. Now, I've been thinking a lot about this. Honestly, keeping this baby is… it goes against everything I've wanted and worked for. I wanted to be married before starting a family, not the other way around. I may be forward thinking in many ways, but I still have a traditional heart, you know?" she asked. Harry nodded. "And bearing that in mind, I can't reconcile the thought of abortion. It would be the simplest answer to this problem. It would even get me away from ever having to have anything to do with Ron. I would be able to move on completely instead of continue to be trapped in this insane living purgatory I'm stuck in.

"So that's when I thought about adopting the baby out. I wouldn't be stuck with a child I didn't plan for. I would be able to continue to live my life the way I wanted. I wouldn't have to worry about diapers or babysitters.

"But… what if that child grows up and looks for me in twenty years with questions I can't answer?" she asked. "What if they never get a home and grow up in an orphanage? What if they do get placed with someone who ends up locking them under the stairs?" She looked at Harry as she said the last. "What do I do?" she whispered.

Harry sighed and reached for her hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Give yourself more time," he said. "You don't have to make a decision right now. Yes, the earlier you make a decision the better, but it doesn't have to be this very second. You haven't even had a chance to go to the doctor yet. You still have time, Hermione."

"What would you do?" she asked. "Say you were me. You found yourself with a child from someone you hate. What would you do?"

Harry sighed. "To be fair, as a man, it's hard for me to put myself into your shoes," he said. Hermione chuckled. "But, if I were a woman and I found out that I was pregnant from an ex I hated… I would keep the baby. I know it's not the rational decision, but I grew up in a house where everyone hated me. I know what it means to be unloved. I can't imagine carrying a child for nine months, feeling that life grow inside of me, and then just give it away. I also personally don't agree with abortion. Not that I'm against it, but I just couldn't imagine going through that."

"If I did choose abortion… would you hate me for it?" Hermione asked, her eyes glistening with tears as she met Harry's gaze.

Harry reached up and cupped Hermione's cheek in the palm of his hand. "I couldn't hate you, Hermione," he whispered. He stood up and kissed her forehead before he walked away, leaving Hermione on the couch feeling empty and no closer to an answer than she was before.


	11. Chapter 11 - Harder

Empty Rooms

Chapter 11: Harder

Harry turned off the faucet in the shower. It was his third cold one that week. He couldn't get the kiss out of his mind. He longed for so much more, now that he'd had a taste…. But no. He told her no. He knew she wasn't ready yet. He knew she was still processing the stress of the last few weeks and her emotions were thrown into chaos because of the pregnancy. She'd just gotten out of a long-term relationship. Five years was nothing to laugh off. She was hormonal. Ron's attack on her certainly didn't help things.

No. This was absolutely the _worst_ time for them.

Still, it didn't stop Harry from reliving the kiss in his mind every time it started to wander. The feel of her body pressed against him. The softness of her lips. The way her hair felt as it curled around his fingers….

Harry groaned and turned the shower back on, knowing that Hermione Granger would be the death of him someday.

* * *

"You took two showers?" Hermione asked as Harry sat down at the table.

"Didn't get all the shampoo out," Harry lied. "Sleep well?"

Hermione let out a bitter chuckle. "I haven't slept well for weeks," she informed him.

"Have you decided what you're going to do?" Harry asked.

Hermione shook her head. "No, not yet," she replied. "I decided to take your advice and wait a little longer. I'm going to schedule a doctor's appointment today and discuss it with a professional. Maybe they'll give me a better insight into what I should do."

Harry nodded. He reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Just keep in mind that no one can make this decision for you," he said. "It has to be _yours_. It's your body. It's your baby. Don't let me or anyone else influence your decision."

"Easier said than done," Hermione confessed. "The thought of you hating me for getting an abortion makes it so I can't even breathe." She looked away for a moment before she looked back at him. "It's just as bad as the thought of something happening to you," she continued. "When Ron went away on a mission, I worried about him, but the thought of him getting hurt or dying never stopped me in my tracks," she explained. "It never made my chest tight or my throat clench. I can't breathe when I think of something happening to you, Harry," she whispered, squeezing his fingers. "I didn't think I would ever look at you the way you look at me, but… I'm falling for you, Harry," she confessed. "When I'm not thinking about the baby, I'm thinking about the kiss I stole. I keep dreaming of another one and I feel like I'm drowning without it.

"But I don't want to do anything that will make it easier for Ron to target me," she continued. "I don't want to risk that this is just my hormones or some instinctual desire for a father for my baby. I want to be with you in every way, Harry, but…"

"It's not the right time," Harry said with a rough voice. He cleared his throat before he kissed the back of Hermione's hand. "I know," he agreed. His heart raced at hearing her say that she felt the same way for him that he did her. He held her cold hand against his forehead for a moment before he stood up. He had to put some distance between them before he threw caution in the wind and kissed her again. He leaned against the counter.

"Is my being an Auror a deal-breaker for you?" he asked. "Ron worked with me for a long time. You know what it's like being with an Auror, so you already know what to expect from it."

Hermione sighed. "Sometimes I forget that it can be a dangerous job," she confessed. "Which is stupid considering what we grew up doing."

"Right, but Voldemort is dead now," Harry reminded her. "The country is far safer now than it was six years ago. You and I are safer. I don't really know how to do anything else, so if my line of work is an issue, the sooner I know about it, the sooner I can take steps to fix that."

"You could teach," Hermione suggested. "You're a brilliant teacher."

"Is that a yes?" Harry asked. Hermione hesitated. Harry returned to the table and sat down next to her. He reached for her hands and held them in his own. "You can be honest with me," he told her. "I won't be mad if it's a problem for you. I won't hold it against you. I won't lash out at you. If you're not comfortable with me being an Auror, I want you to tell me."

Hermione sighed again. She cupped his cheek in her hand. There was some stubble on his jaw that he'd missed when he shaved that morning. She found it endearing that he shaved the Muggle way. Ron used magic. "I don't want it to be a problem for me," she said. "But I think it might become one."

Harry nodded. He turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand. "I'll see what I can do," he promised her. "Please don't ever feel like you have to keep something from me because you're worried about upsetting me. You know that I get more upset finding out people are keeping things from me than I do if they have something to say that I don't like."

Hermione nodded. "I know."

Harry sighed before he pulled away from her again. He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a jug of orange juice. Once he poured himself a glass and put the juice away, he leaned against the counter and took a sip. "I'll talk to my boss about transferring to the academy."

Hermione nodded. She stayed silent for a moment, staring at him. Harry felt the weight of her gaze and wanted to pull her out of the chair and kiss her. He cleared his throat and set his juice down. "I've got to get to work," he said before he started walking to the door.

"Harry, wait," Hermione said, standing up.

Harry stopped and turned toward her. He could see something bothering her. "What is it?" he asked. He reached for her and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. The smell of her shampoo invaded his senses and he resisted the urge to kiss her.

Hermione looked up at him, meeting his eyes. She held his face in her hands. Harry's heart raced. His stomach tied up in knots.

"Hermione, I don't know how much longer I can keep myself away from you," he whispered.

Her eyes glistened with fresh tears. "I know," she replied. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Please be safe," she whispered. "Make sure you come home to me. No matter what happens with this baby, Teddy and I need you."

Harry pressed his forehead against hers. Hermione's arms draped around his neck. For a moment they held each other before Harry kissed her cheek and pulled himself away. "I'll be home this evening," he promised before he dragged himself out the door.

Once he was outside the house, he leaned against the front door for a moment. He hadn't let Hermione know it, but her pregnancy was hard for him to deal with. He kept on a brave face for her, but he hated Ron even more because it was his child she carried. It was Ron's child that Harry promised to help raise. Between the baby and Teddy, Harry wondered if he would ever have a child that was his own or if he would forever help raise other peoples' children. The resentment toward Ron burned at the back of his throat. It should not have been this way. Either Ron should never have talked Hermione into having sex with him or should have left her when he and Lavender reignited their relationship. Now, Harry had to clean up the mess and keep his distance from the woman he wanted more than anything. He'd raise Ron's child as his own if that was what Hermione chose. And he would be damned if he let Ron anywhere near the baby.


	12. Chapter 12 - Heartbeat

Empty Rooms

Chapter 12: Heartbeat

Hermione sat on the exam table and waited for the doctor to come in. She looked at the walls of the room and saw the diagrams of the development of a fetus into a baby. She counted how many weeks she would be since getting pregnant. She was close to two months. She sighed as the doctor walked in.

"Hello, Miss Granger, how are you doing today?"

"I've been better," Hermione replied. "And you?"

"I'm doing well, thank you," the doctor said as she sat down. She smiled. "So, talk to me. What brings you in today? I see in your chart that you had a positive pregnancy test recently?"

Hermione nodded. She'd chosen to see a muggle doctor because of the technology but was prepared to see a magical one as well, once she could be sure to find someone who wouldn't leak the information. "Yes, it was a couple of weeks ago now. I hesitated to make an appointment because I've been under so much stress and I haven't decided yet if I want to keep the baby."

The doctor's eyebrows rose. "Oh?" she asked.

Hermione nodded. "The father and I broke up before I found out I was pregnant," she explained. "I found out that he'd been having an affair with an ex-girlfriend and she's about eight months pregnant herself."

"Oh, I hate people like that," the doctor said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry that you have to deal with that. It can't be an easy situation to be in."

Hermione shook her head. "It hasn't been," she agreed. "But, thankfully, I have a very wonderful man in my life who is holding my hand through it all. He's even promised to change diapers."

The doctor chuckled. "Marry him," she said.

Hermione laughed. "I just might," she agreed.

"Okay, so do we have any idea on how far along you are?"

"Considering I've only had sex once, yes, I'd say I have a decent idea of how far along I am."

"Oh!" the doctor said, clearly surprised. "How long ago was that?"

"Almost two months," Hermione replied.

The doctor nodded and stood up, pushing her stool aside. "Well, go ahead and lie back and let's take a look, shall we?" she asked. Hermione nodded and lay back as the doctor pulled an ultrasound machine over to the exam table.

Hermione flinched when the cold gel touched her stomach. Once spread around, the doctor started to look for the baby. It didn't take long for Hermione to hear a fast rhythmic sound.

"That's your baby's heartbeat," the doctor said.

"That's the heartbeat?" Hermione asked. She turned her head to look at the ultrasound monitor. The doctor pointed to the baby on the screen. "It doesn't look like much yet, but that's your baby," she said.

That was the moment everything became real for Hermione. Seeing her baby on the screen. Hearing the heartbeat. There was a life inside of her. Her heart raced. She knew there'd be no way she could part with it now.

"Everything looks good so far," the doctor said. "It's certainly developing well. And it looks like a two-month-old fetus, so it's growing right on schedule. I'm going to have you head down to the lab for some bloodwork so we can make sure everything is good and get your blood typed since I don't see that here in your chart. And based on conception, your due date will likely be mid-June. I recommend getting some prenatal vitamins if you intend to keep the baby. Did you want to discuss your options? You did mention you weren't sure what you were going to do."

Hermione shook her head. "No," she said. "I'm going to keep it," she whispered, her heart racing.

The doctor nodded. "That happens a lot when people hear the heartbeat for the first time," she said. "Set up an appointment with the nurse on your way out. I'd like to see you again in two to three months, just so we can make sure everything is still going well. If you have any problems or bleeding, I want you to get to the hospital immediately. First trimester bleeding is usually an early sign of a miscarriage, so you'll want to get medical attention as soon as possible. Any questions?"

Hermione shook her head. "No," she said.

The doctor smiled. "Okay," she said. "I'll let you get cleaned up and then make that appointment. Also, stop by the lab on your way out for the bloodwork."

Hermione nodded. "Thank you," she said.

* * *

When Harry got home that evening, Hermione already had dinner ready. She smiled at him as he walked into the kitchen and held out a photo from the ultrasound. Harry smiled as he took it from her. "Is this the baby?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "I heard its heartbeat today," she said.

Harry smiled at her. "You brought home a photo," he said. "You decided to keep it."

Hermione nodded. "I did," she said. "Once I heard the heartbeat and I saw it on the monitor, I couldn't even conceive of terminating it or giving it away to someone else. Ron may have fathered this child and it may be a baby I didn't plan on or intend to have, but it's _my_ baby," she said. "And I know this is going to make it harder for us with the way things have been going, but I don't want us to enter a relationship until after the baby's born," she told him. "I don't want to take the risk that my feelings for you are being influenced by out of control hormones or the fact that you're so willing to help me with everything. I want to wait until after the baby is here so that I _know_ that my feelings for you are genuine. I don't want to risk hurting you, Harry. You're all I have left."

Harry sighed and leaned against the counter. He looked at the photo in his hands before he set it aside. "I've waited this long," he said. "I can wait a few more months."

Hermione smiled at him. "Thanks for understanding, Harry," she said.

Harry nodded as he pulled her in for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed into her hair. "You are going to be the death of me, Hermione Granger," he said. "But at least I'll die happy."


	13. Chapter 13 - Tragedy

AN: Trigger warning. This chapter contains pregnancy loss/miscarriage. Reader discretion is advised.

Empty Rooms

Chapter 13: Tragedy

Harry yawned as he walked down the hallway to make his way to the coffee maker. Late nights followed by early mornings were always rough and this was no exception. He smiled when he saw Hermione sitting on the rocking chair in the living room. She had a bundle of blankets pressed against her breast and Harry could just see a mess of red hair peeking over the blanket.

"Did she wake you up?" Hermione asked as she looked at him.

Harry yawned as he shook his head. "No, I had to get up. I have an early class today."

Hermione smiled. "Thanks again for taking that teaching position, Harry," she said. "It's comforting to know that you'll be here for her as she grows up."

Harry smiled and walked over to her. He kissed her before he brushed the blanket aside to look at the baby in Hermione's arms. "Good morning, Little Ginger," he said as he looked at her. The baby had no face. Harry jumped back in shock.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked as she continued to rock.

"Nothing," Harry whispered, willing his heart to stop racing. "Nothing. It's nothing," he insisted.

With the smile still plastered on her face, Hermione started screaming Harry's name. It took him a moment to realize that this was a dream. He forced his eyes to open and looked around his dark room as he put on his glasses.

"HARRY! HELP!"

Harry jumped out of his bed and ran to Hermione's room before he realized he was awake. He opened her door and turned on the light. The moment his eyes settled on her, his heart skipped a beat.

Blood was everywhere. It was all over the bedsheets and Hermione herself. She had tears on her face and fear in her eyes. Harry's heart broke for her, but he couldn't stop to think about it. He rushed forward and scooped her up out of bed before he spun in place and Apparated them both to St. Mungo's.

The witch at the front desk looked up as they entered, both in their pajamas. Both now covered in blood. Hermione clung to Harry as she sobbed. Harry looked at the woman behind the counter. "I think she's having a miscarriage," he informed her.

The woman's eyes widened and she ushered the couple to a room, summoning a mediwitch as they walked. Hermione moaned with the pain and tears blurred Harry's vision as he carried her. He blinked them away.

They entered a room and Harry laid Hermione down on the examination table. Hermione reached for his hand before he could step away and the mediwitch quickly set to work casting spells. Soon, Hermione was asleep, and Harry was ushered out of the room. "We'll find you when she's taken care of," they said.

Harry spent hours pacing the lobby. Hermione's blood still coated his arm because he hadn't had enough presence of mind to wash it off. A witch walked by with a cart of snacks and drinks. She stopped next to Harry. "Do you need anything?" she asked.

Harry took a cup of tea from her in a paper cup and sat down to drink it. As he did, the doors of the hospital opened again and Ron and Lavender walked in. They went straight to the counter where Ron explained that his wife was in labor. The witch at the counter nodded and asked them to take a seat while she made sure there was a room ready for them. As they sat down, Ron noticed Harry sitting in the chair.

"Harry," he said, his eyes widening at the blood on Harry's arm and clothes. "Whose blood is that?"

Harry glared at his former best friend. "Hermione's," he said.

Ron looked guilty. "Oh," he said. "Is she okay?"

Harry stood up and held out his bloodied arm. "Does she fucking look okay?" he demanded. "It's the bloody middle of the night, Ron! She's back there losing your fucking baby and I'm the one with her because you couldn't stay loyal! Because you couldn't care even half as much for her as she did you! So congratulations, Ron. You lose a child the same day one is born."

"I guess this means you don't want to be the godfather of this one then?" Ron asked.

Harry swung before he knew what he was doing. His fist collided with Ron's face and they both fell to the floor from the force of it. Lavender screamed as security personnel rushed toward the men. Harry hit Ron three more times before they pulled him away. They held onto Harry until Ron and Lavender were escorted back.

One of the men looked at Harry. "Look, I know you're the Boy Who Lived and you defeated You Know Who and all, but you've got to get control of yourself," he said. "You're not having a good night. I get it. But if you don't calm down, I'm going to have to force you to leave and that woman you carried in here will be all alone."

Harry froze. The thought of leaving Hermione alone because his temper got the better of him was enough to calm him down. "Alright," he said. "Just keep that asshole away from me."

"You've got it," the man said. "I'll personally make sure he doesn't enter a room you're in. Just go to the bathroom and clean yourself up, alright?" he asked.

Harry nodded before he walked to the bathroom. He didn't have his wand on him, so he cleaned the blood off his arm with good old-fashioned soap and water. Once clean, he stared at himself in the mirror.

His eyes were wide. He looked scared. His face was pale. Sweaty. His eyes were red from tearing up. He splashed water on his face and walked back out into the lobby. The mediwitch that pushed him out of the room was standing by the desk. She pointed to Harry as he reentered the room.

"Mr. Potter," she said.

"Yes," Harry replied.

The mediwitch held out her hand for Harry to shake. "I'm Marilyn," she said. "I'm treating Miss Granger. She's asked me to tell you what's going on so that she doesn't have to repeat it all herself."

Harry nodded. "Okay," he said. "Is she…"

"She's had a miscarriage," the mediwitch said. Harry tried to listen to everything she said after those words, but his brain had shut down. He knew. There was no way she could have bled that much and been alright. But to hear the words out loud… It wasn't even his child and he was devastated.

"Mr. Potter?" Marilyn asked, touching Harry's shoulder.

Harry's eyes snapped to her face. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked.

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "Come on back," she said. "She wants to see you."

Harry nodded and let the woman guide him back to Hermione's side.


	14. Chapter 14 - Emptiness

Empty Rooms

Chapter 14: Emptiness

Harry walked into Hermione's room and saw the blood soaking her bed. He took out his wand and cleaned the mess. He didn't want her to see it when she came home. He sat down on her bed and looked around. Hours ago, she showed him the photo from the ultrasound. She had decided to keep the baby.

Now… emptiness. Her eyes were empty. Harry closed his as the memory instantly came to mind. She was hollow. This loss hurt her more than Ron leaving her.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the ultrasound on her nightstand. He picked it up and looked at the grey and black photograph. The small blob in the center. That was the baby. Hours before it died. Did the doctor have any indication? Was there any clue that this could happen?

Harry took the ultrasound to his room and put it in the drawer of his nightstand. He was worried that if she saw it when he brought her home, she would tear it up and throw it away. He was worried that she might regret that later when her wounds weren't so raw.

He returned to her room and changed the sheets and the blanket. Even though he had cleaned them with magic, he wasn't sure she wanted to see them on her bed just yet. Once her bed was made, he looked around. He saw a list on her desk. When he picked it up, he saw the pros and cons list with her options. It appeared that she was leaning toward abortion, even though she didn't want one. He remembered their conversation about it and how he encouraged her to wait before deciding. He crumpled the paper and threw it into the rubbish bin outside. He didn't want her to have a reminder that she considered getting rid of the baby before it was taken from her.

Once done cleaning up in her room, Harry took a shower. He tossed his clothes in the wash and went to the kitchen where he started preparing a large pot of soup for Hermione, certain that she would want it when he brought her home.

A few hours later, Harry returned to St. Mungo's. He saw Ron and Lavender again. Checking out with their brand-new baby. Ron didn't seem affected by the loss of his second child. Harry assumed he probably still suspected it wasn't even his. He walked past them. He didn't want to make another scene. Ron wasn't worth his time. Still, it made him proud to see that his former best friend still sported a swollen black eye.

Harry reached Hermione's hospital room. He knocked on the open door and Hermione turned from the window to look at him. She gave him a weak smile. Harry walked in and closed the door behind him. He sat down next to her and reached for her hand. "I cleaned up your room," he told her. "And I made a huge pot of soup for you."

Tears fell from Hermione's eyes as she smiled at him. "Thank you, Harry," she whispered.

Harry searched her face. "What can I do for you?" he asked.

Hermione tugged on his arm. "Hold me," she whispered.

Harry brushed away his own tears as he stood and moved to her hospital bed. He sat down next to her as she scooted over. He lay down with her, molding his body around hers. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she broke down in his arms. His own heart broke for her. She clung to him as the tears fell freely.

* * *

Later that day, they released Hermione. Harry took her home and settled her on the couch with a thick blanket and a cup of tea. He sat down on the sofa with her and held her in his arms. "It'll be okay," he promised her.

Hermione nodded. "When will I stop hating myself?" she whispered.

Harry looked at her. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I didn't want that baby," she whispered. "I thought about getting rid of it. I only decided a few hours before I lost it that I wanted to keep it, but when I realized I was losing it, I almost felt relieved," she confessed. She brushed her tears away. "The last thing holding me to Ron is gone. I never have to risk looking at that baby and hating it because of who fathered it. I can get back to my life the way I wanted it to be. Everything can be normal again…."

"And you hate yourself because you're relieved that the baby is gone?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. "Exactly," she whispered. "I'm such a horrible person for this, aren't I?" she asked.

"Not at all," Harry replied. He kissed her forehead and held her tighter. "You're not horrible. You were in a situation you weren't ready for. I imagine anyone in your shoes might feel the same way you do right now. And I'm sure that you're not just relieved. I'm sure there's a part of you grieving for the loss."

Hermione nodded.

"Will it help you feel better if I tell you that I beat up Ron?" Harry asked.

Hermione turned and looked at him. "You did what?" she asked. "When did you see him?"

"Last night, while they were treating you," Harry explained. "He and Lavender were there…"

"She had the baby last night?" Hermione asked.

Harry sighed as he nodded. "He had the audacity to ask me if I wanted to be the kid's godfather."

"He didn't!" Hermione gasped.

Harry nodded. "He did," he said. "So I punched him a few times and called him out for abandoning you and cheating on you. They had to physically restrain me until he left the room. Then they made me promise not to attack him again or they would force me to leave."

Hermione laughed. "I wish I could have seen that," she said.

Harry smiled. "I'll get a Pensieve for you," he promised.

"You'd better," Hermione replied. She settled back into Harry's arms and took a sip of her tea. "I feel so empty now," she whispered. "Like there's this empty room inside of me now that the baby is gone." She closed her eyes and tears fell from the corners. Harry kissed her temple. "You'll get through this," he promised. "And I'll be here for you every step of the way."

"I don't deserve you, Harry," Hermione whispered.

"You deserve whoever makes you happy," he countered. "But you don't have to think about that right now. You can worry about that another day."

Hermione turned her face toward him again. She reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand. "Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

Harry gave her a smile. He pressed his forehead to hers and let out a sigh. "You should get some rest," he said. "Do you want to lay down?"

"I do, but I don't want to be alone," Hermione replied.

"I could use a nap too," Harry said. "Come on."

Harry untangled himself from Hermione and stood up. He took her tea from her and set it down on the coffee table. He would clean it up later. He held Hermione's hand as they walked back to his bedroom. Hermione looked around as she walked in and saw the bed in the corner that Harry had set up for Teddy.

They laid down on Harry's bed, spooning each other. Harry wrapped his arm around Hermione and held her hand as they settled in. Soon, they were both asleep.


	15. Chapter 15 - Ready

Empty Rooms

Chapter 15: Ready

Harry opened his eyes to the sound of Hermione swearing under her breath. She was sitting on his bed looking at the sheet. More blood.

Harry reached out for her. "Calm down," he said. "Go to the bathroom and clean up. I'll bring you clothes and take care of this."

Hermione nodded and rushed to the bathroom. Harry put his glasses on and reached for his wand. He used magic to clean the sheets before he went to Hermione's room and grabbed clean clothes for her. He knocked on the door of the bathroom and waited for her to respond before he stepped inside. "Clean clothes," he said as he put them on the counter. "I grabbed things that look comfortable."

"Thanks," Hermione replied. "I'm sorry, Harry."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Harry replied. "Soup?" he asked.

Hermione chuckled. "Yes please."

"Coming right up," Harry said before he stepped back out of the bathroom. He went to the kitchen to heat up the soup he cooked earlier and had two bowls ready by the time Hermione joined him in the kitchen. She looked pleased with the clothes Harry had grabbed for her. She wore fuzzy pajama bottoms with an oversized sweater. She'd clipped her wet hair back and Harry could see that she'd spent more time crying in the shower.

She stepped up to Harry and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. Harry wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her tight, kissing the top of her head. For a minute, neither of them moved. Hermione felt her shoulders start to relax in his arms. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. They were so close that she could have counted his eyelashes. She reached up and put her hand behind his neck before she pulled him toward her and kissed him.

It was a slow kiss, like testing how hot the water is one toe at a time. They tasted each other. They explored each other. They knew they had time. There was no need for frenzy. Harry's fingers threaded through her hair, releasing it from the clip. Hermione gripped Harry's shirt in her fists and pulled Harry closer to her.

Her breath trembled as she pulled away and met his eyes again. She reached up and held his face in her hands, feeling the stubble under her fingers. She felt his breath on her face.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. "Are you ready?"

Hermione bit her lip and nodded. "I am," she said. "Harry, you've been there for me every step of the way through this nightmare that Ron left me with. I didn't know love could be this patient and kind. You've shown me that when someone actually loves me, they don't judge me. They don't harass me. They don't expect things from me that I'm not ready to give. Harry, I can't tell you how much that means to me."

Harry smiled at her. "You don't have to," he said. He kissed the tip of her nose before he rest his forehead against hers. "You set the pace, Hermione. You say go, stop, or slow down and I will listen to you without question. I'm just thrilled for a chance to hold you."

"And that's what makes you better than Ron," Hermione said. "He always pushed for more. And he thought that once he put a ring on my finger that it meant I was obligated to sleep with him. I wish I'd never given in."

Harry kissed her cheek. "It's over," he whispered in her ear. "We can move on."

Hermione nodded and kissed Harry again. "Yes," she agreed. "Thank Merlin for that."

Harry smiled. "Want your soup now?" he asked.

Hermione chuckled and nodded, stepping away from Harry. He handed her a bowl and the two of them sat down at the table.

"I'm not sure I would have much longer I could have kept my hands off you," Hermione said with a chuckle. "I don't think I would have been able last through the pregnancy."

Harry shook his head. "I don't know how much longer I could have gone without kissing you again," he agreed.

"Now you don't have to," Hermione said as she reached for Harry's hand.

"Thank _God_ for that," Harry said with a laugh. Hermione laughed with him. Harry pulled her close to him and kissed her again.

* * *

Two weeks later, Harry stood outside of Hermione's bedroom door, his heart racing. He straightened his shirt and tie. He raised his hand and knocked on her door. When she opened it, the sight of her took his breath away.

She wore a dress that reminded him of the one she wore to the Yule Ball. The material was light and flowed with her movements. It was a light purple color that gradually darkened as it reached her feet. She had pulled her hair up and soft curls framed her face.

They grinned at each other. Harry held out a single red rose. Hermione's face brightened as she took it from him. "Oh, Harry," she said before she kissed his cheek.

Harry held his arm out to her. She slipped hers through his arm and he escorted her to the front room. "Your choice," he said. "We can go out and face the public, or we can stay here in privacy."

Hermione smiled. "Public," she said. "It's time to let the world know."

Harry's grin widened. "Hold tight."

Harry Apparated them to Diagon Alley. There was a new restaurant that had opened recently, and Harry had already made reservations. It was the first time Harry had really used his fame to get something he wanted and when he saw Hermione's face glow under the fairy lights, he knew that he had made the right decision. They ate a meal fit for royalty and shared a bottle of wine.

It was the first time Hermione had been taken out on a classy date. Ron had always been so certain that he didn't have to try to keep her that he didn't bother to take her out. The more Hermione thought about the relationship, the more she realized that she would have left Ron years ago and that it was truly a blessing that he had left her first.

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said halfway through their dinner.

"What for?" Harry asked.

Hermione smiled and took a sip of her wine. "Everything," she said as she set it back down. She looked around the restaurant. "Harry, this is everything I've never imagined I could be part of."

"You're worth all of this and so much more, Hermione," Harry said. "Did Ron never let you believe that? For all those years you were together? Did he never treat you the way you deserve to be treated?"

Hermione sighed. "If this is how I deserve to be treated… no. No, he never did anything this nice for me. Honestly, the only thing that changed for us when we started dating was that we were a little more affectionate with each other, but everything else was the same. We were still fighting all the time. We were still back and forth. He still put me down more often than he brought me up. Honestly, Harry, I've spent five years not knowing it could, or even _should_, be better."

Harry reached for Hermione's hand and brought it up to his lips. He kissed her fingers and lowered her hand again. "Then I'll spend every day I have with you showing you otherwise," he promised.

**AN: I didn't want to spend another long arc on !DepressedHermione, so I decided on a small time jump so that I wouldn't put us all through that again. **


	16. Chapter 16 - Love

Empty Rooms

Chapter 16 – Love

Harry knocked on the door of his boss's office and waited for her to call him in. When he walked in, she smiled at him. "Potter. What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to talk to you about transferring to the academy as an instructor," Harry informed her.

"Oh," Price whispered. She cleared her throat. "Okay. Er… I think one of the instructors is retiring and they're going to need someone new to come in and take over the class. I'll reach out and see what they're looking for and put your name in for it if that's what you really want."

Harry nodded. "It is," he said.

"May I ask what changed?"

Harry smiled. "Family," he said. "I don't want to give up on making a difference completely, but I feel as though I can help more by sharing my knowledge and experiences than I can by being out on the field myself. I've got my godson and my girlfriend at home and I want to be there for them. I don't want to put myself in the line of fire if it means I risk not being there for them."

Price nodded. "I respect that," she said. "And I agree. You can make a hell of a difference by sharing what you know."

Harry nodded. "Thank you," he said.

* * *

When Harry got home that evening, he couldn't wait to tell Hermione the news. He grinned as he walked into the house and saw her reading a book in the living room. He walked up to her, plucked the book from her hands, and gave her a kiss. "I'm being transferred to the Academy," he informed her.

Her eyes light up as she smiled. "Really?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes," he confirmed. "I spoke with Price about it first thing this morning. There's another instructor who is retiring and needs to be replaced. She's going to make sure that my name is at the top of the list."

Hermione kissed Harry's cheek. "You are the best," she said. "I'm sorry that I put that on you but thank you for listening to me."

Harry sat down on the sofa next to her. "Hermione, you didn't put anything on me," he said. "You made your feelings about my job known to me, but it was my decision to either listen to you and take steps to change that or ignore your feelings and continue on as though you'd never said anything."

"Ron never—"

"Ron didn't do a lot of things," Harry said, cutting her off before she could say more. "He's a narcissistic, misogynistic, pathetic excuse for a man and I cannot believe that I didn't see how poorly he was treating you until it all fell apart. I swear to Merlin I will spend every bloody day of the rest of my life showing you that you're not some sort of second-class human because you're a woman he was determined to belittle. I promise, if I get the chance to hit him again, nothing will stop me."

Harry reached up and held Hermione's face in his hands. "You are worth so much more than he ever let you believe. You _matter,_ Hermione. Your feelings _matter._ Your thoughts, your opinions, your worth, _all_ of it, _matters_. So yes, if you say something, I will listen. If I disagree with you, I will tell you without making you feel insignificant because your opinion is different from mine. I am sorry if I ever once, even for a moment, made you feel inferior."

Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes and spilled over as she wrapped her arms around Harry. A sob escaped her and it wasn't because of Harry that she cried, it was because he, in one impassioned speech, showed her how much damage her relationship with Ron had caused her. Harry held her as she cried. He pulled her onto his lap and rocked her. "I love you," he whispered in her ear. He kissed her cheek. He dried her tears. He showed her every day that he cared about her. Not once did he make her feel that she was a nuisance. Not once had she interrupted him only to have him snap at her and make her feel guilty for wanting his attention.

When she spoke, he listened. He stopped everything to give her his undivided attention. He knew her favorite comforts. He didn't push her for anything more than she was willing to give. That made her want it all with him. Marriage, family, sex. She was ready for more.

Hermione reached up and held his face in her hands. She leaned toward him and kissed him as she straddled his lap, deepening their kiss. Harry held her tighter for a moment before he pulled back. He met her eyes, waiting to see what she would do next. Hermione stood and pulled Harry up with her. She kissed him again before she started walking back to the hallway, holding Harry's hands in hers. Her heart raced as they walked into Harry's bedroom.

"Wait," Harry said. She saw the concern in his eyes and felt her heart swell. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Physically?"

Hermione nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Cleared last week."

Harry smiled. "Yeah?" he asked. "And you're sure about this?"

"I am," she replied. "Just as long as we make sure there's not going to be any accidents."

Harry chuckled before he kissed her forehead. "There won't be," he promised. "It's not a conversation we've had before, but I used a spell a few years ago to make sure I don't father any children until I take the spell off. I've spent a few nights in someone else's bed and I didn't want any of them to come after me with a baby claiming that I was the father."

"So, you're not sending out any soldiers?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. "No," he confirmed. "No soldiers."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Hermione asked with a smirk.

Harry grinned and kissed her again. "Just remember, you can say 'stop' at any time."

Hermione nodded. She pulled her shirt up over her head and set it aside. "I don't plan on it," she told him.

Harry pulled off his shirt before he kissed Hermione again. He lifted her up and carried her the rest of the way to the bed before he laid her down and settled himself between her legs. He placed a number of kisses along her jaw and neck to her collarbone, letting her sighs and moans tell him what she liked. He caressed her body, worshiping her before he kissed her again.

Hermione's fingers tangled in Harry's hair as he kissed his way to the waistband of her jeans. He unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down over her hips. He pulled her pants off and dropped them onto the floor before he shucked his own pants. He rejoined her on the bed and settled himself between her legs.

He met her eyes again. "Ready?" he asked.

Hermione nodded with a smile, touched by the way Harry cared so much about her comfort and desire. "Please," she whispered, desperate for release.

Harry didn't make her wait long. He eased himself inside of her with a pounding heart and a breathless moan. Hermione gasped at the feeling of him filling her up. Harry worshiped her as he pumped his body into hers. Her moans echoed his and filled the air around them. Hermione felt the pressure build up inside her. Harry kissed her again as she felt every muscle in her body constrict around him as the pressure exploded into stars. She felt Harry spill inside of her in a rush of thick heat.

Harry pressed his forehead against hers, panting heavily. He grinned before he kissed her again. "I love you," he whispered.

Hermione smiled. "I love you too," she replied.


	17. Chapter 17 - Invitation

Empty Rooms

Chapter 17 – Invitation

It didn't take long for Hermione to move into Harry's room. That weekend, they spent a day moving her things out of her room and incorporating them into the house as a whole. When the room was clear, they moved Teddy's things into it so that he could have his own space the next time he came over. When they finished, Harry kissed Hermione. "I guess this means you're staying then?" he asked.

Hermione grinned. "Let's be honest, Harry. I wasn't ever going to move out."

Harry chuckled as he enveloped her a warm embrace. "Good," he said. He opened his mouth to say something else, but a knock on the door interrupted him. Harry and Hermione exchanged confused looks. Harry never had unexpected guests and no one had come to visit in the months that Hermione had lived with him.

Harry walked over to the front door and looked through the peephole. He saw Bill standing on the other side of the door. He opened it. "Bill?" Harry asked. "What brings you here?"

Bill smiled at Harry. "We haven't heard from you two in a while, so I thought I'd stop in and see if you were okay," he said. "Ron told us what happened at St. Mungo's."

"Which part?" Harry asked.

"The part where you punched him after he asked you to be his daughter's godfather," Bill confirmed. He smiled again. "Personally, I think you should have hit him a few more times."

Harry laughed as he stepped aside to let Bill into the house. "I would have, had security not pulled me away," he said.

Bill looked at Hermione standing at the mouth of the hallway. "I'm sorry to hear about what happened, Hermione," he said. "Fleur just lost a baby too…"

"Oh, Bill," Hermione said, sadness filling her voice. She walked up to the two men and wrapped an arm around Harry's waist. Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Bill nodded. "Thanks," he said. He looked between the two of them. "Please tell me that the two of you are _finally_ together?" he asked.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and smiled before looking back at Bill. "We are," Harry confirmed. He gestured to the sofa. "Have a seat," he said. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"No, I'm fine," Bill said. "Thanks."

The three of them sat down. "Was it Molly?" Harry asked. "Is she the reason you're here?"

"Indirectly, yes," Bill confirmed. "It's been a while since you two came for family dinner night, so she wanted to make sure you both knew you were still welcome. She was going to send a letter, but I offered to deliver the concerns in person. To be completely honest, while we all hate Lavender more than they tried to hate Fleur, we're actually all glad that Ron turned out to be a bit of a prick and that you two are able to be together because of it. We've all had a feeling it was going to happen sooner or later."

"It would have happened sooner had I not been pregnant," Hermione said. "I didn't want to give Ron any reason to think that Harry was the father."

"Oh, he firmly believes that the baby was Harry's," Bill said. "He adamantly refuses to acknowledge that it was his. Honestly, I think if Harry hadn't been covered in blood that day, he would have maintained that you were faking it all."

Hermione shook her head and muttered something under her breath that only Harry could hear. Harry kissed her hand. "It's okay," he said. "He's not worth our time, remember?"

Hermione nodded but excused herself anyway. She made her way to their bedroom and sat down on the bed, holding her head in her hands. A few minutes passed before she felt Harry kneel down in front of her.

"Hey," he said, gently pulling her hands away from her face.

Hermione blinked the tears away as his face came into focus. She sniffled and shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Nothing to be sorry about," Harry replied. "I just want to make sure that you're okay."

Hermione shook her head. "No, not really," she confessed. "I've been locking my feelings about the miscarriage away in some dark corner of my mind, and Bill blew the doors open." She sighed and shook her head as Harry moved to sit on the bed next to her. She met his eyes and struggled to get the words out. "I…"

Harry reached for her hand and held it tightly. He waited patiently for her to find the words. He didn't push. He didn't assume.

Fear held her pounding heart. Her throat tightened. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before she met his eyes again and knew that she just had to get the words out. "Harry, I want a baby," she whispered. "I want _your_ baby. I want us to have a family together."

Harry let out a shaking breath. "Are you sure?" he asked. Hermione nodded.

"Then let's do this properly," he said. "We get married first, yeah?" he asked. Hermione nodded. "When we're married, I'll take the spell off and we can work on a family."

Hermione grinned. "Yeah?" she asked.

Harry kissed her. "Yes," he promised.

* * *

That Friday, Harry and Hermione returned to the Burrow once more for Molly's family dinner, this time with Teddy in tow. When they walked in, they were greeted with smiles and hugs. Molly smiled at their joined hands and the way they kept gravitating toward each other. While Teddy and Victory ran off to play games, Molly pulled Hermione aside.

"How are you?" she asked. "Really?"

Hermione smiled. "I'm getting better," she said. She looked at Harry as he laughed with Bill and George before delving into some sort of story that involved a lot of arm movements. "Harry has honestly been so amazing through this whole thing that I can't believe I couldn't see how he felt a long time ago."

Molly smiled before she hugged Hermione tightly. "To tell you the truth, I always thought you two were better suited for each other than for Ron or Ginny," she confessed. Hermione stared at her with her eyebrows raised and eyes wide. "I'd never have admitted this while you were still with Ron," she said with a laugh. "You two are made for each other," she continued. They watched Harry as he caught Hermione's eyes and smiled.

Hermione smiled back at him. "Harry has shown me more care and affection than Ron ever did," she said. "And I'm sorry that you might not ever have us all in the same room again," she added, looking back at the family matriarch. "I wish we could go back to the friendship we all once shared, but Ron's actions have damaged the bond between us so severely that I don't believe it will ever happen."

Molly shook her head. "Don't apologize for that," she said. "Ron made his choices and now he's going to have to live with them. It's not your fault. Just promise me that you two won't ever feel unwelcome in this house," she said.

Hermione chuckled. "We'll do our best," she promised.

Molly nodded. "Good," she said with a grin. "Let's eat, shall we?" she asked.


	18. Chapter 18 - Christmas

Empty Rooms

Chapter 18 - Christmas

Christmas morning arrived with snow and cold. Hermione woke up before dawn and slipped out of bed before Harry opened his eyes so that she could make the perfect Christmas breakfast. She maneuvered through the kitchen with ease and soon had a feast cooking on the stove and coffee brewing in the pot.

It was the first time in a long time that she felt truly _happy_. She hummed Christmas songs to herself and danced along to it while she flipped the pancakes and turned the sausage and bacon. She and Harry had waited until Teddy went to bed before they decorated the house. Garlands, lights, and a twinkling tree would be a magical thing for him to wake up to. The living room had been transformed, for certain. And the large pile of presents under the tree filled Hermione with as much excitement as an adult as it did as a child.

Harry was the first to wake up. He walked into the kitchen with a bewildered look on his face that quickly transformed into a grin as he watched Hermione dance and sing off-key. As she twirled away from the stove, he caught her and started to dance with her, waving his wand at the radio in the kitchen so that actual Christmas carols filled the air.

When the song ended, Harry kissed Hermione. "Happy Christmas," he said.

She grinned at him. "Happy Christmas, Harry," she replied. "Breakfast is ready."

Harry kissed her again before he let her go and started getting plates onto the table. They served breakfast, complete with coffee and juice, before Harry woke up Teddy.

The boy was sleeping soundly on his bed. Harry knew he'd stayed up late into the night, hoping to catch sight of the mysterious Santa Clause, who obviously _had_ to be a Wizard because there was no other way that he would be able to visit every child in the world otherwise.

Harry knelt next to his godson's bed and gently woke him. "Teddy," he said. "Wake up! It's Christmas!"

Teddy's eyes shot open and he sat up immediately. "It's Christmas?" he asked with a grin. Harry nodded. "Did Santa come?"

"Well, you see, there's something in the living room that wasn't there last night, so I think he might have. Will you check on it for me? You can tell me for certain."

Teddy jumped out of bed and ran out of the room. Harry waited with a smile on his face to hear Teddy's reaction. "WHAT?" he heard from the living room. Harry laughed as Teddy came running back. "Did you see it?" he asked. "There's a tree! And presents!"

"There is?" Harry asked.

Teddy walked up and grabbed Harry's hand before he dragged his godfather into the living room. He pointed at the tree. "Look!" he cried.

Harry gasped. He knelt down in front of Teddy. "Do you know what this means?" he asked. Teddy shook his head. "This means you have to eat breakfast and then we can start opening the gifts, okay?" he asked.

Teddy's face fell. "I have to _wait_?" he cried.

Harry nodded. "But only until we're done eating breakfast," he said.

Teddy rushed to the table where breakfast waited. He started eating before Harry and Hermione sat down. "Slow down, Teddy," Harry said. "We all have to finish before you can start opening presents, okay?"

Teddy nodded but continued to shovel his food into his mouth. Harry and Hermione shared an amused look across the table and Hermione sipped her coffee before turning to her breakfast. Teddy, of course, finished his breakfast before Harry or Hermione did and preceded to stare wistfully into the living room while the adults finished their meal. He looked at them every few minutes to see if they were done yet. Each time, their plates were a little emptier and he was a little more hopeful that they would be done the next time he looked.

When Harry _finally_ sent his fork down, Teddy almost jumped out of his chair. "Can we open presents now?" he asked.

Harry nodded and Teddy leaped out of his chair to run to the tree. "Don't open them until we get in there," Harry told him.

Teddy, staring at the biggest present buried beneath all the smaller ones, groaned loudly. "Hurry!" he begged, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Harry and Hermione laughed as they walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa.

Teddy grabbed the first present. "Is this mine?" he asked.

"Yours are the blue ones," Harry said. Hermione's idea was that it would be easier for Teddy to figure out what he could and couldn't open if they color-coded all of the gifts. Harry's were red and Hermione's were gold.

"Can you read who it's from?" Hermione asked.

Teddy barely managed to divert his attention to the tag before tearing the paper off. He looked at it with squinted eyes. "I can't read that good yet," he said.

Hermione stood up from the sofa and moved to sit on the floor with Teddy. She pulled him into her lap and held the tag so she could see who it was from. "Do you know your sounds?" she asked.

"Gramma was teaching me," he said.

"Well, see if you can sound it out then," she said. "What's the first letter?"

"G?" Teddy asked. Hermione nodded. "Guh-rr-ah-nn-d-mm-ah," he muttered under his breath. "Grandma?" he asked. Hermione nodded. Teddy smiled, swelling with pride, and then ripped the paper off the box as if the barrier wasn't even there.

Teddy tore through all of his gifts, with Hermione to help him discover who each one was from. From Andromeda, he received a toy broom that went higher than his old one, knee and elbow pads, as well as a helmet. Safety first, after all. Hermione gave him the children's version of Quidditch Throughout the Ages because Teddy was fascinated by the sport. She even promised to help him read it whenever he wanted. Harry gave him a set of toy dragons that reminded him a lot of the Triwizard Tournament because they moved around. Since they were children's toys, there was, thankfully, no fire.

Teddy also got new clothes and Santa even gave him some pajamas with golden snitches on them. He got a few other books to help with his reading and Hermione made a decision that she would start teaching Teddy everything he'd need to know before going to Hogwarts.

In addition to Teddy's gifts, Hermione gave Harry a book to help him plan his lessons at the Auror Academy, as well as a few other books to help him develop his skills as a teacher. Teddy gave Harry a hand-drawn card of him, Harry, and Hermione living in their house with a dog, which Harry decided meant that Teddy wanted a dog. Above the picture, Teddy wrote the word "Family" with everyone's names and arrows pointing to each person. The part that almost made Harry cry was that Teddy had written "Daddy Harry" and "Mummy Hermione".

"Teddy, come here," Harry said, fighting the tears. Teddy walked up to Harry, who picked him up and sat him in his lap. He held the card so that Teddy could see it. "You remember who your mum and dad are, right?" he asked.

Teddy nodded. "My mum was Tonks. She was a brave Auror. She died fighting Death Eaters when they attacked Hogwarts. She loved me very much. My dad was Remus. He was a professor at Hogwarts a long time ago and he also died at Hogwarts when the Death Eaters attacked. He loved me very much too."

"May I ask you why you called us mummy and daddy in your card?" Harry asked.

Teddy smiled. "You are my daddy and Hermyknee is my mummy." Hermione gasped and held her hands over her mouth as tears glistened in her eyes. "I know you're not my real parents, but I wish you were because I love you."

Harry blinked the tears back as he hugged Teddy tightly. "I love you too," he whispered. He kissed the top of Teddy's head before letting him go back to his toys.

For Hermione, Harry gave her a set of encyclopedias he knew she'd had her eye on for a while. He also gave her a hand-written coupon book filled with things like free hugs, kisses, and soup. Hermione seemed to enjoy that gift the most and used a kiss coupon right away.

Also under the tree were sweaters from Molly for each of them. Harry had lost count of how many H sweaters she'd made for him, gradually growing larger as the years went by. He still had every single one of them in a box in his closet. They would be heading to the Burrow later in the day for dinner. Harry and Hermione both hoped that Ron would keep his distance and not ruin the holiday. They'd resisted the invitation at first, but Molly demanded they be there. "It isn't Christmas if the whole family isn't here," she'd said.


	19. Chapter 19 - Truce

Empty Rooms

Chapter 19 – Truce

That evening, Harry, Hermione, and Teddy arrived at the Burrow. Harry and Hermione exchanged apprehensive looks with each other before they opened the door and walked in.

Teddy immediately ran up to Victory and hugged her. The two started chasing each other around without hesitation.

Harry saw Ron next and felt a sense of satisfaction at the bruise that was still fading from under his eye. He reached for Hermione's hand and held it tightly. Ron glared at the couple but didn't cause a scene. Molly blocked him from view a moment later as she hugged both Harry and Hermione, her smile widening when she saw they were wearing the sweaters she made them. "Come in, come in," she said, ushering them away from the door. "Care for a drink?"

"Yes, please," Hermione said before she followed Molly into the kitchen.

Bill, Charley, and George walked up to Harry and hugged him, welcoming him like a brother. Even Percy and Ginny smiled as Harry sat down in the living room with the others. Ron and Lavender sat rigidly in their seats, Lavender cradling their swaddled daughter and patting her to keep her from fussing. Harry looked at the baby and saw Weasley-red curls sticking up from the blanket.

"So how are things now that you have Teddy and Hermione living with you?" Bill asked.

Harry grinned. "Honestly, it's fantastic," he said. "I mean, Teddy's only been with us full-time for about a week and he's going to Andromeda's for the weekend, but it honestly couldn't be better."

"Has he thrown a tantrum yet?" Bill asked.

Harry laughed. "A few," he said with a nod. "We're learning how to handle those. Of course, Hermione's read every parenting book she can get her hands on, so she's absolutely terrified of mucking it all up."

Bill laughed. "She's going to be a great mum, I'm sure," he said.

"Audrey was terrified too," Percy said. "I think she second-guessed our ability to raise a child every other hour during her pregnancy with Molly. Even after we brought her home."

Harry chuckled. "Audrey is a great mother," he said. He turned to Bill. "Did you get it set up?" he asked.

Bill nodded. "It's ready when you are," he said.

"What is?" Hermione asked as she sat down next to Harry. She handed him a cup of warm apple cider. Harry took a sip before he set it aside and then looked around to see if everyone was in the room. He nodded to Bill, who stood up and walked over to Teddy and whispered something in his ear. Teddy listened carefully before he walked over to the Christmas tree in the living room and found a small box wrapped in gold paper in the branches He handed it to Hermione.

"What's this?" she asked.

Teddy shrugged and walked away. Hermione chuckled before she opened the present.

Inside of the box was a note. While she had been focused on unwrapping the box, Harry had knelt in front of her. She pulled out the note and read:

_To the Love of My Life,_

_ I never want another day to pass without you in it. Please do me the honor of being my wife?_

_ -The Luckiest Man in the World_

Hermione looked up at Harry with tears blurring her vision. He knelt in front of her, a ring in his hands. The tears spilled from Hermione's eyes as she nodded. Harry managed to slip the ring on her finger just before she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

The family cheered around them. Molly, Ginny, Fleur, and Audrey clamored around Hermione to see the ring. The brothers all clapped Harry on the back, congratulating for him taking the leap. Instinctively, Harry looked for Ron, wanting to celebrate this moment with his best friend. As he saw Ron's back going through the door, he remembered that they weren't friends anymore. They weren't even friendly.

Harry separated himself from the crowd and followed Ron outside. "Wait!" he called out.

Ron stopped walking and said something to Lavender before he turned around. "What now?" he asked. "You have Hermione. You have my family. What more could you possibly want from me, Potter?" he demanded.

Harry walked toward the man who he thought would always be by his side. "I'm not trying to steal your family away from you, Ron," he said. Ron rolled his eyes. "Look, like it or not, Hermione and I aren't going away. Your mum's made certain of that. But don't ruin Christmas for her, okay?" Harry pleaded. "Your mum doesn't deserve that. For the sake of the family, so they don't have to choose sides, can we just agree to be civil here?"

Ron looked at the house, then back at Lavender. She nodded at him. Ron looked back at Harry. "I'm only agreeing to this because if I don't, I'm going to be the arse that tore my family apart," he said. "I'm not going to let you and Hermione keep turning me into the bad guy."

Harry shook his head. "You did that to yourself," he said before he turned around and went back into the house. Hermione caught Harry's eye as he walked in. Harry looked back and saw Ron and Lavender walk back into the house as well.

Molly smiled at Harry before hugging him. "Thank you for getting him back in here," she said.

Harry nodded. "We agreed to be civil here for you," he whispered to her.

Molly kissed Harry's cheek before she let him go and pulled Ron into her arms. Harry left her side and stepped up to Hermione. He kissed her cheek as he wrapped his arm around her. "Ron and I agreed to be civil while we're here," he said softly to her. "For Molly's sake."

Hermione nodded. "Good," Hermione said with a smile. "No reason to ruin things for Molly. You rushed out of here so fast I was almost afraid that you were changing your mind."

Harry heard the note of fear in Hermione's voice. She was engaged to Ron. Ron ran out on her. She was terrified that Harry would do the same thing.

He hugged her tightly and kissed her. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised her. "I'll marry you right now if it'll help you believe that."

Hermione blinked back tears and held Harry a little tighter. "I love you," she whispered.


	20. Chapter 20- Love

**AN: I apologize for the delay in posting. Been having some real-life upheavals and stresses between work and my mother being in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Things are calming down now, so I present you chapter 20! Hope you all enjoy it! **

Empty Rooms

Chapter 20 – Love

Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months. Before they were ready for it, their wedding was fast approaching. They chose September first as the date of their wedding. The anniversary of when they first met on the train to Hogwarts. Hermione wanted an outdoor wedding. Harry was more than happy to give her anything she wanted and praised her for being sensible.

She chose Hogsmeade for their wedding. There was a courtyard behind the Three Broomsticks that she loved, so she worked with Madam Rosemerta and they were able to turn it into something from a fairytale. They didn't want a large wedding. Their guest list included Hermione's parents, given special permission to attend, Teddy, all the Weasleys except Ron and Lavender, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Luna, Neville, Andromeda, and a few other of their close friends. The Weasleys alone took up more than half of the guest list.

When the big day arrived, Hermione got ready in one of the rooms above with Ginny and Luna helping her. She was terrified that she would get down there and find that Harry had abandoned her, despite all his promises otherwise. Her mother sat next to the mirror, watching her transform from an anxious wreck to a beautiful anxious wreck. Every time Hermione turned around, she started to cry, fearful that Harry would hurt her.

Thank Merlin for the magic that kept her makeup from running in streaks down her face.

"What do I do if he's not there?" Hermione whispered.

Finally, her mother stood up. Mrs. Granger took her daughter's hands and held them tight. She looked at Ginny and Luna. "Will you find Harry and bring him in here, please?" she asked.

Hermione gaped at her mother. "But it's bad luck!" she protested.

Mrs. Granger shook her head. "No, it isn't," she said. "You know better than that, Hermione. Now, I want you to close your eyes," she said. Hermione did as she was told. "Take a deep breath." Hermione inhaled until she couldn't take in any more air. "Let it out slowly." She did. "Do it again."

Hermione took three more deep breaths before she started to feel calmer. She opened her eyes and looked into her mother's. "Will I ever feel normal again?" she whispered.

Mrs. Granger smiled as she cupped her daughter's cheek with her palm. "One day at a time, my love," she said. "You are much farther today than you were the day that you walked into that empty room. Harry adores you. He worships the ground you walk on. The spark in his eyes every time he sees you, speaks about you, or even hears your name speaks volumes of his love for you. I promise you that he will be waiting for you when you walk into that courtyard."

The door to the room opened. Hermione and her mother looked to see Harry step inside. The concern in his eyes made Hermione want to start crying again.

"What's this I hear about you being afraid I won't be there?" he asked as he stepped up to her. He looked at her. Her white dress was simple and elegant. The bodice snugged her body with tiny pearl beads sewn in a floral design. The skirt was full and bell-shaped with layers of tulle.

Hermione sighed, dragging Harry's eyes from her dress to her face. "I can't get over the fear that you're going to walk out on me," she whispered.

"Would you feel better if we sign the paperwork now, make everything official, and then go down there and do the ceremony for everyone else?" Harry asked.

"You mean elope before we get married?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "We'll get your dad in here. Just you, me, and your parents. We'll do the big, scary, official part of it now so that you know that I'm not going to abandon you."

Hermione nodded. "Let's do it," she said.

Harry smiled. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm going to go get your dad and Kingsley."

"Promise?" she asked.

Harry cupped her cheeks in his hands. "Hermione, if I have to make an Unbreakable Vow for you to believe that I'm coming back, I will make it. Not even death will stop me from coming back to you, do you hear me?"

More tears leaked from Hermione's eyes. She nodded. "I hear you," she whispered.

Harry leaned in and kissed her before he left the room in search of her father and their officiant. Along the way, he explained to a couple of people that there might be a slight delay in starting the ceremony but that everything was just fine. Once he found the two men he was in search of, they returned to Hermione's room.

Kingsley smiled at them. "You know, this part usually comes after the ceremony, not before it," he said.

Hermione nodded. "We're doing things backward today," she said.

Kingsley chuckled and stepped up to a table where he put the license down. "Legally, I have to ask," he said. "Harry, do you take Hermione to be your wife?"

Harry nodded. "I do," he said.

Kingsley smiled. "Hermione, do you take Harry to be your husband?"

Hermione grinned. "I do," she replied.

Kingsley nodded. "Then by the power invested in me, I pronounce you married. Let's sign this and get on with the fun part."

Harry and Hermione laughed as they signed the certificate. Hermione's parents acted as witnesses. Once everyone signed, it was official. They were married and Hermione felt all of her worries dissolve away. She hugged Harry tightly. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

Harry smiled. "I love you," he said. "I'll do whatever I have to in order to make you happy."

Hermione blinked back more tears. "I love you too, Harry," she replied.

After the ceremony, the celebration began. They took over the entirety of the Three Broomsticks and Madam Rosemerta did not disappoint. She kept on top of drinks, food, and everything else that came with catering an event. This wasn't the first wedding at the Broomsticks, after all.

She stopped Harry as he passed her. Tears glistened in her eyes. "I just wanted to say that I think it's a great honor to your parents that you got married here like they did," she said.

Harry gaped at her. "They—what?" he asked.

Madam Rosemerta smiled at him. "You didn't know?" she asked. "I thought that was why you two wanted to be married here. Your parents' first date was here, so they came back and got married here as well. I have a photograph somewhere, would you like it?"

Harry nodded and watched the landlady disappear into the back of the inn. She returned a few minutes later with the photograph in her hands. Harry took it from her and stared at it in amazement. There were his parents, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, along with a few other faces that Harry didn't recognize. They smiled and waved at him.

With tears in his eyes, Harry held the photo out to Madam Rosemerta. She shook her head. "You keep it," she said. "I imagine you have precious few things from your parents."

Harry nodded. "That's certainly true," he said. "Thank you. This means a lot to me."

The landlady smiled. "You're welcome, Harry," she said. "And congratulations. I always hoped it would be you two in the end."

Harry grinned. "So did I," he said before he made his way back to the celebration. He sat down next to his wife and held out the photograph. "My parents got married here," he said.

"Did they?" Hermione asked with a grin. There was a note to her voice that told Harry that she'd already known.

He stared at her. "Is that why you chose this as our venue?" he asked.

Hermione chuckled. "Guilty," she said. "I was going through some old records at work and stumbled on an old Daily Prophet article about your parents' wedding. The article stated that they got married here, so I wanted us to get married here too. I was planning on telling you in my speech, but we haven't gotten that far yet."

Harry kissed his wife. "You are utterly amazing," he said as someone tapped their fork against their glass to get everyone's attention.

Hermione's father stood up. Mr. Granger smiled at everyone. "As the father of the bride, I feel like it's my place to start things off here," he said. "I'm sure everyone knows that my wife and I are Muggles, so we're grateful for the special permission to allow us here today to be at our only child's wedding." He looked at Kingsley. "Thank you, Minister," he said. Kingsley nodded. Mr. Granger turned back to the guests as he reached for his wife's hand. "I'll never forget the day my wife told me she was pregnant. We were living in a cheap apartment, fresh out of school, barely married. I had never been more terrified and excited in my entire life. Now, we have the most amazing daughter and she has become such an inspiration. Kind, generous, loving. There are so many adjectives I could use to describe her.

"Which was why we were so fearful for her when it came time for her to leave us for Hogwarts. Thankfully, we were blissfully unaware of the things she went through in her years at school. I'm certain we wouldn't have allowed her to come back if we'd known while she was still a child. No one should fight a war at fifteen, after all.

"Through all the ups and downs in her life, there has been one person standing at her side and supporting her. They've leaned on each other through every hardship and happiness. There are not many couples in the world who can say they started off as great friends, but the best ones, the ones who stand in the face of time and shout about how they made it, can.

"So, Harry," Mr. Granger said, turning to face the boy who lived. "Welcome to the family, son. We're proud to have you."

Harry grinned. "Thank you, sir," he said.

Mr. Granger nodded as everyone collectively sipped from their glasses. Hermione smiled at Harry before she leaned in and gave him a kiss. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," Harry replied. "Now, are you still afraid that you're going to wake up in the morning and find that I've disappeared?"

Hermione shook her head. "No," she whispered.

Arthur stood up before anyone else could take the floor. "Harry, if you don't mind, I'd like to say something." Harry nodded to him.

Arthur smiled and looked at the gathered guests around him. "The first time I met Harry, he was sitting at my dining table after my sons had taken it upon themselves to break him out of his aunt and uncle's house. He was a scrawny boy with shaggy black hair and I was suddenly terrified that I'd missed us having another child. I didn't recognize him right away, not like most people do. But I looked at that malnourished boy and decided at that moment that if he was going to be my son, in whatever form, then I would make sure that he knew that I loved him as much as my own kids.

"When I realized just who Harry was, I knew I could never replace the parents he lost. No one could. No one _should._ But I also knew that he needed _someone_. Even if he never came to me for advice about girls, dating, or academics, I wanted to be someone he knew he could count on. I wanted to be there for him, just as I was for my other children.

"Harry, you've always been like a son to me, I hope you know that. I'd have loved to have you marry into the family, but I'm honestly glad that you didn't because we wouldn't be here today. You have exactly the right woman at your side. Just don't forget about us when you're wondering where to eat dinner on Friday night."

Harry smiled with tears blurring his vision. "We won't," he promised.


	21. Chapter 21- Empty Rooms

Empty Rooms

Chapter 21: Empty Rooms

Freed from the wedding obligations, Harry and Hermione rushed home to collect their things before leaving for their honeymoon. They weren't going anywhere overly fancy or extravagant. Harry would have been just as happy staying home as he was that they were leaving. They traveled by the Floo Network to their destination; a small resort for Wizards and Witches in Ireland. Seamus had told Harry about it when they bumped into each other at the Ministry and Hermione had thought it sounded like a wonderful place.

The receptionist quickly checked them into their suite and guided them to it, taking their luggage for them. Once the door was shut and they were finally, blissfully, alone, Harry pulled his bride in close and kissed her deeply. "Question for you," he said. "Are you taking my name or keeping yours? Both?"

Hermione smiled. "I suppose you taking my name is out of the question?" she asked with a chuckle.

Harry laughed. "If that was what you wanted, I'd consider it," he replied.

"I'm thinking I'll hyphenate them," she said. "Or just take your name. I was planning to hyphenate before."

Harry nodded. "You have time to think about it," he said. "No rush. I was just curious to know if you had a plan."

Hermione smiled. She kissed Harry. "One of the things that I will always love about you is that you don't push me for more than I'm ready for," she said. "And… on that note… why don't we take that spell off of you and go into the bedroom?" she suggested.

Harry grinned. "You don't want to be married for a while first?" he asked. "You want to start trying for that baby right now?"

Hermione nodded. "We've been together for almost a year, Harry," she said. "We've known each other more than half our lives. I'm ready for us to make our family a little bigger."

Harry kissed her. He took his wand out from his sleeve and pointed it at himself. Hermione heard him whisper a spell but didn't pay much attention to the words. Harry set his wand aside before he picked her up and carried her to the bed. He set her down on the floor next to the bed and turned her so that her back was to him. He praised the dressmaker for putting a zipper in the back of her dress instead of something tedious, like buttons. He unzipped the dress and it fell down around Hermione's feet in a pool of satin and tulle.

Hermione turned around and draped her arms over Harry's shoulders, wearing very little now that the dress was gone. Harry fully intended to take off every last piece of fabric on her body and worship the goddess underneath.

He kissed her as his hands fumbled with the hooks of her bra. When it fell away, he picked her up again and laid her down on the bed. He slipped her heels off, then reached up for the one last piece of thin fabric covering her. His hands slid up her legs, his eyes never leaving hers.

A moment later, she lay naked before him. Harry placed featherlight kisses up her leg before burying his face between them. Hermione cried out and grabbed handfuls of his hair, pulling him closer to her.

He shrugged off his suit jacket and unbuttoned his shirt as he worked a different kind of magic on her body. He couldn't hear her moans as her legs clenched around his head, effectively keeping him from hearing anything. As her sweetness flooded his mouth, he sucked down every last drop before looking up at her.

Hermione lay across the bed, gasping for breath. When Harry rose up over her, ready for more, she wondered how much more she could take. She smiled at him as he came in for a kiss and let out a moan as he slid into her body so perfectly that she wanted to cry.

He moved slowly in and out of her, savoring this first moment as a married couple. Husband and wife. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Potter. Mrs. Hermione Potter. The words rang through her head as he thrust into her. She let out a moan, unable to contain it. Harry took one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked on it, sending a shockwave of pleasure through her body. Her body bucked. Her hips gyrated. She wanted more. Needed more. She was desperate for him to fill her to the brim and spill over.

And that's exactly what he did. Her body buzzed with static as the heat from his filled her up. Harry met her eyes and said how much he loved her without opening his mouth to speak. He kissed her deeply and she felt her heart start to slow down. "Potter," she said softly.

"What?" Harry asked, breathless from his exertion.

She smiled at him. "Hermione Potter," she said.

Harry grinned and she felt him stiffen inside of her. "I like the sound of that," he said.

Hermione moved her hips ever so slightly. "How much?" she asked.

Harry pulled out almost entirely before he shoved his member back into her apex. "This much," he said, doing it again. Hermione cried out, excited and desperate for more.

* * *

It didn't take long for Hermione to suspect she was pregnant. She was emotional. Everything smelled off to her. She didn't even want her soup. So, of course, the moment she ran to the bathroom to throw up, she had to know for sure. She pulled out her wand, cast the charm, and saw sparks. She grinned, knowing that Harry would be thrilled. She just needed to figure out how to break the news to him.

For that, she enlisted Teddy's help.

She made dinner that night. Harry had stayed late at the office for evaluations of the new recruits. While waiting for him to get home, Hermione helped Teddy draw a picture of their family. He insisted on adding a dog, which further reinforced the fact that he wanted one. When Teddy finished his drawing, Hermione helped him label each person, then instructed him to draw another arrow at stick-figure Hermione's midsection with a question mark. She folded the drawing into a card and put it at Harry's place at the table.

That night, when Harry got home, Hermione served his favorite meal and they sat down at the table to eat. Harry picked up the card and looked at it. His eyes widened when he realized what the question mark meant. "Are you pregnant?" he asked.

Hermione grinned as she nodded. "I am," she said.

Harry pulled Hermione out of her chair and spun her around as he lifted her into the air. He quickly realized how that could make her feel and put her feet back on the solid floor before he kissed her deeply. "This is the happiest day of my life," he whispered.

They returned to the table and Harry noticed that Teddy was less than thrilled at the news.

He reached across the table for his godson and pulled Teddy into his lap. "What's the matter, young man?" he asked.

Teddy sighed as he shook his head. He mumbled something that Harry didn't catch. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to say that again, a little louder this time."

Teddy met Harry's eyes. They were bluer than usual. His hair was also darker. "What's going to happen to me now that you're having a baby?" he asked. "Am I going to go back to Grandma's?"

Harry shook his head. "No, of course not," he said. "Not unless that was what you really wanted. Why would you think that?"

Teddy shrugged. "Because I'm not yours," he said. "I wish I was, but I know Remus and Tonks were my parents and they're dead now. I'm not anybody's."

"You most certainly are ours," Harry said. "You may not be our blood, but you are family." Teddy still looked unsure. "Do you know what adoption is?" Harry asked. Teddy shook his head. "It's the official way to make people like us family," he explained. "It's what people do when they have kids that aren't theirs originally. Remus and Tonks will always be the people who brought you into this world, but if you'd like, we can make it official and Hermione and I can be your parents forever. Is that something you'd like?"

Teddy's eyes lit up. "So we'll always be together forever?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "You'd be stuck with us."

Teddy grinned. "Will you adopt me?" he asked.

Harry hugged him tightly. "Yes, we will," he whispered.

Teddy hugged Harry tight before he slipped off Harry's lap and threw his arms around Hermione. "I love you, mummy," he said.

Hermione felt tears burn at her eyes as she hugged Teddy back just as tightly. "I love you too, Teddy," she whispered.

Teddy pulled away from her and went back to his seat at the table. He dug into his dinner and Hermione turned to Harry. "We need a bigger house, you realize that don't you?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Absolutely," he said. "I already started looking. Do you think five bedrooms are enough?"

"How many kids do you want?" Hermione asked, surprised that Harry would look at something so large.

Harry shrugged. "Depends on if we want to fill the empty rooms or not," he said with a grin. "I think it would certainly be fun to try."

Hermione laughed before she tossed her napkin at Harry. She bit back the remark she wanted to throw at him because it wasn't an appropriate thing to say with a child in the room. "You'll pay for that one," she promised.

Harry grinned. "Can't wait," he said. "And," Harry said, turning to Teddy, "getting a bigger house means we can get a dog to go with it."

Teddy gasped as he grinned at Harry. He bounced in his seat. "Promise?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "Promise," he vowed.

"YAY!" Teddy squealed before throwing himself at Harry with his excitement. Harry chuckled and hugged his godson before sending him back to his chair. "Eat your dinner," he said.

It didn't take them long to get a new house. Hermione was barely showing her pregnancy as they packed up the house. As she made one final pass through the house, she looked at all of the empty rooms and couldn't believe that a single idea, the idea of an empty room, could be something that caused her so much pain as well as so much happiness. She smiled at the house Harry had invited her to live in and turned into a home with her one final time before she closed the door on the empty living room. She turned away and saw Harry waiting for her, his hand extended toward her. She took his hand and together they got into the car and drove to their new home as a family.

_The End_


End file.
